PRIVATE  DIARIES 

OF  THE 

MPRESS  MARIE-LOU! 


SAN  OIEGO 


THE  PRIVATE    DIARIES    OF    THE 
EMPRESS    MARIE-LOUISE 


THE 

PRIVATE  DIARIES  OF  THE 
EMPRESS     MARIE-LOUISE 

WIFE   OF   NAPOLEON   I 


WITH   INTRODUCTION  AND  COMMENTARY  BY 

FREDERIC    MASSON 

ACAD&M1E    FRANfAISE 

WITH   PORTRAITS 


NEW  YORK 
D.   APPLETON   AND   COMPANY 

1922 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    INTRODUCTION 7 

II.    MARIE -LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE 11 

III.  FEOM  BEAUNAU  TO  COMPIEGNE,  1810      ....  42 

IV.  JOURNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN,  APRIL  27- JUNE  1,   1810  69 

V.    SAINT-CLOUD  —  FONTAINEBLEAU  —  PABIS  —  SAINT-CLOUD 
— BAMBOUILLET,    JUNE    1,   1810-MAY    22,    1811 — 

JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG,  MAY  22-JuNE  4       .        .  103 

VI.    THE  JOURNEY  OF  1811 122 

VII.    JOURNEY  TO  DRESDEN  AND  PRAGUE,  1812      .        .        .  145 

VIII.    JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE,  1812-1818 169 

IX.    JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG,  1818 209 

INDEX .  289 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

THE  EMPRESS  MAKIE-LOUISE        ......    Frontispiece 

from  a  print  in  the  potsettion  of  Sir  Morgan  Crofton.  Bart. 

THE  EMPRESS  MARIE-LOUISE        ....      Facing  page  124 

From  a  miniature  in  the  potseition  of  Sir  Morgan  Crofton,  Bart, 

[Photos  by  permission  of  Paul  Laib,  West  Brompton,  S.  W.~] 


THE 

PRIVATE  DIARIES  OF  THE 
EMPRESS  MARIE-LOUISE 

CHAPTER  I 

INTRODUCTION 

IN  1918  I  received  a  communication  from  London 
in  which  Lady  Thompson  invited  me  to  consider  a 
Diary  of  the  Journeys  of  the  Empress  Marie-Louise, 
which  had  been  bequeathed  to  her,  with  a  view  to  its 
publication.  I  accepted  this  proposal  with  much 
pleasure,  and  shortly  after  received  the  manuscript, 
the  contents  of  which  convinced  me  of  its  authenticity. 

This  manuscript,  the  size  of  note-paper,  is  bound 
into  a  red  morocco  volume,  the  covers  and  fly-leaves 
being  lined  with  green  satin.  The  script  is  contem- 
poraneous with  the  early  years  of  last  century,  being 
regular  and  well-formed.  At  first  it  did  not  appear 
to  me  to  be  the  handwriting  of  the  Empress ;  the 
perusal  of  the  text,  however,  removed  all  doubt  as  to 
its  origin. 

In  answer  to  my  inquiries  as  to  how  this  manu- 
script had  come  into  her  possession,  Lady  Thompson 
forwarded  me  a  letter  from  her  grandmother,  Mrs. 
Smijth  Windham,  which  runs  as  follows  : — 


8  INTRODUCTION  [On.  I 

"  In  the  year  1836  I  became  acquainted  with  a 
Swiss  governess,  called  Mdlle.  Muller,  who  lived  many 
years  with  Lady  Jane  Peel.  She  was  very  intimate 
with  a  governess  I  had  for  my  children,  and  I  came 
into  the  room  one  day  as  she  was  reading  these 
Memoirs  to  her  friend.  I  stopped  to  listen,  and  then 
borrowed  the  book,  which  amused  us  much. 

"  Some  months  after  this  I  proposed  to  her  to  let 
me  purchase  it,  and  after  some  hesitation  she  agreed. 

"  All  she  knew  of  it  was,  her  brother  Monsieur 
Muller  was  tutor  to  one  of  Marie-Louise's  pages  who 
was  in  waiting  when  she  escaped  from  the  Tuileries ; 
he  picked  it  up  from  the  floor  and  gave  it  to  his  tutor 
some  time  afterwards. 

"  The  page's  name  is  written  in  small  characters  on 
the  first  leaf  of  the  book — Vicomte  de  *  .  .  . — I  for- 
get the  name.  This  is  all  I  know. 

"  KATH.  SMIJTH  WINDHAM." 

Nevertheless,  there  are  cogent  proofs  to  demon- 
strate the  authenticity  of  the  manuscript.  It  is 
divided  into  three  parts  ;  the  first  records  the  Imperial 
journey  in  the  departments  of  Northern  France  and 
Belgium,  between  April  27  and  May  13,  1810 ;  the 
second  comprises  the  journey  of  Marie-Louise  to 
Mayence  from  July  23  to  August  9,  1813  ;  the  third, 
her  journey  to  Cherbourg  from  August  23  to  September 
5,  1813.  These  three  journeys  mark  important 
epochs  in  the  Emperor's  history  ;  the  first  was  made 
in  the  full  enjoyment  and  splendour  of  a  destiny 

*  The  name  of  the  page  is  pencilled  so  faintly  that  it  is  now  illegible. 
— -H.  K.  Thompson. 


BEGINNING  OF  THE   DIARY  9 

fulfilled ;  the  second  and  the  third  were  undertaken 
when  sinister  rumours  were  in  the  air,  when  treason 
was  breeding,  when  the  very  basis  of  the  system,  the 
Austrian  Alliance,  had  been  destroyed. 

It  appeared  to  me  indispensable  to  place  these 
three  episodes  in  a  setting  that  would  bring  out  their 
full  value  and  significance.  While  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  describe  the  other  journeys  made  by 
Marie-Louise  in  detail,  it  seemed  advisable  not  to 
ignore  them  altogether. 

The  first,  which  began  at  Braunau,  March  16, 1810. 
and  ended  at  Compiegne  on  the  27th,  was  followed 
by  many  others  apart  from  what  were  termed  the 
petite  voyages  or  excursions,  which  involved  a  life  of 
insufferable  nomadism,  devoid  of  any  permanent 
centre. 

The  Diary  commences  on  April  27,  1810,  the 
journey  during  which  Marie-Louise  jotted  down  the 
first  pages.  This  was  followed  by  a  period  of  delicate 
health  and  the  birth  of  the  King  of  Rome.  From 
May  27  to  June  4,  1811,  she  travelled  in  Normandy, 
and  no  diary  of  that  journey  has  hitherto  been  dis- 
covered. Between  September  19  and  October  11, 
she  made  a  journey  to  Belgium,  Holland,  and  the 
Rhenish  Provinces,  where  for  several  days  her  corre- 
spondence with  the  Emperor  formed  a  diary.  In 
1812,  Napoleon  left  Saint-Cloud  on  May  9  with  Marie- 
Louise,  from  whom  he  parted  at  Dresden  on  the  29th. 
She  went  from  there  to  Prague,  where  she  remained 
until  July  1,  going  thence  on  the  7th  to  Wurzburg, 
where  she  stayed  for  a  week.  On  the  18th  she  arrived 


10  INTRODUCTION  [On.  I 

at  Saint-Cloud.    On  December  18  the  Emperor  re- 
turned to  Paris. 

Next  we  have  the  two  journeys  recorded  below  : 
those  of  1813  to  Mayence,  where  the  Empress  joined 
her  husband,  and  the  one  to  Cherbourg,  where  she 
attended  the  opening  of  the  dock. 

During  1814  there  was  the  terrible  journey  to 
Blois,  which  signified  abdication  ;  likewise  the  journey 
of  the  disillusioned  Empress  to  Vienna,  and  then  the 
journey  to  Aix,  and  that  Excursion  aux  Glaciers  de  la 
Savoie  as  recorded  by  the  pen  of  Meneval,  or  perhaps 
by  that  of  Neipperg,  if  he  committed  himself  to  paper. 

Such  was  the  Imperial  life  and  destiny  of  the  Arch- 
Duchess.  We  shall  part  from  her  at  the  journey  to 
Blois,  but  we  may  link  up  the  vicissitudes  of  her 
career  as  Empress  by  means  of  well-established  facts 
and  other  documents  indited  by  Marie-Louise  herself. 
To  this  end  I  have  made  frequent  use  of  a  book  which 
I  published  some  years  ago,*  with  the  addition  of 
certain  letters  by  which  we  are  permitted  to  penetrate 
the  intimate  thoughts  of  Marie-Louise,  to  appreciate 
her  sentiments,  to  judge  her  ideas,  and  to  determine 
whether  we  shall  perpetuate  the  curse  with  which  the 
French  nation  has  branded  her  ;  or  whether,  following 
the  example  of  Napoleon  himself,  we  shall  look  upon 
her  with  a  certain  indulgence  as  a  weak  vessel,  fettered 
by  obedience  to  tradition,  carried  away  by  tempera- 
ment, and  enslaved  by  mediocre  ambitions. 

FRfeo^Ric  MASSON. 

PARIS,  November,  1920. 

*  L' Imperatrice  Marie-Louise  (1809-1815) :  Fr£d6ric  Masson. 


CHAPTER  II 

MARIE-LOUISE   BEFORE  MARRIAGE 

THE  House  of  Austria,  which  had  dominated  the  world 
and  held  up  the  course  of  the  sun  in  its  States,  was  in 
1809  reduced  to  lamentable  indigence.  Deprived  of 
its  army,  revenues,  and  most  of  its  possessions,  some 
happy  chance  alone  could  reinstate  this  Empire  in  its 
former  position.  Austria  was  apparently  at  the  point 
of  death,  and  the  oligarchs  who  ruled  her  and  used  her 
as  a  mask,  were  concerned  lest  she  should  expire. 

The  House  of  Hapsburg-Lorraine  is  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  in  Europe,  and  claims  a  brief  consideration. 

After  having  occupied  the  Imperial  Throne  for 
three  centuries,  the  House  of  Hapsburg  became 
extinct  with  the  Emperor  Charles  VI.  in  1720.  By 
virtue  of  the  monarchical  arrangement,  it  claimed  to 
have  perpetuated  itself  through  the  marriage  of 
Maria-Theresa,  heiress  of  the  Hapsburgs,  with  Francis 
Duke  of  Lorraine  and  Bar.  In  1735,  by  the  Peace  of 
Vienna,  the  Duke  of  Lorraine  restored  to  France  the 
states  over  which  his  race  had  ruled  since  1038.  In 
exchange  he  received  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Tuscany, 
to  which  neither  Austria  nor  Lorraine  had  a  shadow 
of  right,  but  which  would  shortly  be  vacant  owing  to 
the  imminent  demise  of  Jean-Gaston  de  Medicis,  last 
of  his  race. 

11 


12  MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE   [On.  II 

Francis  of  Lorraine  was  married  in  1736,  became 
Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany  in  1737,  and  was  elected  and 
crowned  Emperor  of  Germany  in  1745.  He  had  an 
imposing  family  by  Maria-Theresa,  consisting  of  five 
sons  and  eleven  daughters.  His  son  Leopold  II.  also 
had  sixteen  children  by  Marie-Louise  of  Spain,  and 
his  eldest  son  Francis,  who  succeeded  in  1792  as 
Francis  II.,  had  ten  by  his  second  wife  Maria-Theresa, 
daughter  of  Ferdinand  I.  of  Naples  and  Sicily. 

Blemishes  abounded  on  the  side  of  the  Sicilian 
Bourbons,  and  this  family,  which  spread  the  germs  of 
tuberculosis  throughout  all  the  royal  races  allied  to 
it,  did  not  spare  the  House  of  Austria.  The  latter  in 
addition  bore  the  unmistakable  signs  of  degeneration, 
multiplied  and  stereotyped  by  a  succession  of  con- 
sanguineous marriages,  until  the  hereditary  type, 
persisting  through  the  centuries,  became  the  hall- 
mark of  the  race. 

What,  then,  were  its  intellectual  characteristics? 
It  has  been  said  that  "  The  physical  likeness  was 
accompanied  by  an  intellectual  affinity  of  tastes, 
interests,  and  ambitions  that  lasted  for  centuries" 
(Dr.  Galippe).  The  cause  of  this  banal  influence 
may  perhaps  be  sought  in  the  inflexible  system  to 
which  all  the  princes  and  princesses  of  this  House 
were  subjected  from  their  birth.  Nor  was  this  all. 
Their  education  was  inseparably  bound  up  with  a 
religious  discipline  that  crushed  and  suppressed  all 
freedom  of  thought,  a'ong  with  the  polyglot  instruc- 
tion that  tended  to  obscure  ideas  by  an  infinite  multi- 
plication of  forms  of  expression  ;  for,  the  more  varied 


THE  AUSTRIAN  COURT  13 

the  words  into  which  thought  is  translated,  the  less 
clear  does  the  thought  become.  This  religious  com- 
pulsion multiplied  observances  and  devotions  without 
appeal  to  conscience,  nor  did  it  inculcate  any  moral 
obligation  or  sense  of  human  responsibility  in  these 
princes.  The  exercise  of  individual  thought  was 
stunted,  and  all  activity  absorbed  in  the  performance 
of  minute  daily  duties  ;  this,  with  absolute  subordina- 
tion to  the  Imperial  Order,  formed  the  basis  of  the 
family  government.  So  long  as  they  yielded  strict 
submission  the  Arch-Dukes  received  titles  and  great 
possessions;  they  might  command  armies  if  they 
had  the  requisite  genius.  But  here  again  they  owed 
obedience  to  the  Aulic  Council  which  represented  the 
Emperor,  and  if  they  sought  to  emancipate  themselves 
were  crushed  without  regard  to  their  position  or 
reputation. 

The  Austrian  Court,  while  the  most  sumptuous, 
was  also  the  simplest  in  Europe.  When  it  had  a  mind 
to  make  a  display,  its  pomp  equalled  the  magnificence 
of  an  Oriental  potentate.  Four  supreme  departments, 
each  with  a  directive  administration  under  the  im- 
mediate orders  of  the  respective  Grand  Dignitaries, 
controlled  thousands  of  officials.  That  of  the  Premier 
Grand  Master  of  the  Court,  e.g.,  comprised  the  offices 
of  the  Grand  Master  of  the  Kitchen,  Grand  Master  of 
the  Plate,  Grand  Steward  of  the  Household,  Director- 
General  of  Court  Buildings,  Prefect  of  the  Library, 
Superintendent  of  the  Band,  Grand  Master  of  the 
Ceremonies;  it  controlled  the  German,  Hungarian, 
and  Italian  Guards  of  Nobles  as  well  as  the  Traban 

B 


14  MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [On.  II 

Guards  and  the  Palace  Guard  of  whom  the  Premier 
Grand  Master  was  Colonel ;  it  was  responsible  for  the 
Court  Chapel,  also  for  the  medical  and  financial  de- 
partments, and  for  the  superintendence  of  the  furniture, 
gardens,  menagerie,  and  counting-house.  In  like 
manner,  the  Grand  Chamberlain,  Grand  Marshal,  and 
Grand  Equerry  each  controlled  a  corresponding 
number  of  appointments.  This  Court  was  sumptu- 
ously apparelled.  The  uniforms  were  of  the  utmost 
magnificence,  and  the  national  costumes  were  adorned 
with  diamonds  and  precious  stones.  The  style  of  the 
garments,  the  splendour  of  the  materials,  the  choice 
furs,  tall  head-dresses,  and  brilliant  arms,  rivalled  the 
magnificence  of  adjacent  Turkey. 

Along  with  this,  nothing  could  be  simpler,  more 
ordinary,  more  bourgeois  than  the  habitual  daily  life 
of  the  Sovereign  and  the  princes  of  his  House.  When 
he  went  out  the  Emperor  took  neither  suite,  nor 
guards,  nor  escort,  and  his  relaxation  in  an  existence 
which  was  regulated  to  the  minute,  consisted  in  the 
practice  of  some  handicraft  such  as  making  sealing- 
wax,  in  despatching  official  letters,  or  in  a  visit  at 
fixed  hours  to  some  obscure  or  impecunious  mistress. 
The  princesses  of  the  blood  were  brought  up  under 
the  direction  of  a  governess  or  aja,  who  was  charged 
with  the  superintendence  of  their  household,  the 
arrangement  of  their  occupations,  and  the  supervision 
of  their  tasks  and  instruction  in  the  languages  spoken 
within  and  without  the  Monarchy.  They  led  a  se- 
cluded and  cloistered  existence,  and  only  females  were 
kept  in  their  bird-cages  and  dog-kennels.  Their 


THE  FAMILY  COMPACT  15 

reading  was  censored  as  well  as  their  correspondence  ; 
music  alone  was  permissible,  and  formed  their  main 
diversion. 

These  princesses,  however,  constituted  the  reserve 
corps  of  the  Monarchy.  With  indisputable  skill  the 
Emperor  kept  it  at  full  strength,  and  was  ever  ready 
to  mobilise  it.  After  defeating  Austria  in  the  War  of 
the  Succession,  the  House  of  Bourbon  believed  it  held 
the  mastery  of  Europe  by  reason  of  France,  Spain, 
Naples,  and  Parma,  and  that  it  was  only  necessary  to 
unite  these  four  Powers  in  a  close  alliance — the  Family 
Compact.  This  was  accomplished,  and  it  was  imagined 
in  France  that  the  sacrifice  of  so  much  blood  and  the 
heavy  costs  justified  the  issue.  Austria,  however, 
weary  of  useless  wars,  disposed  of  three  of  her  daughters 
to  Versailles,  Naples,  and  Parma,  which  sufficed  to 
dissolve  the  Family  Compact,  to  sever  the  alliances, 
to  embroil  Madrid  and  Versailles,  to  pour  the  royal 
treasures  into  Austria's  empty  coffers,  and  to  render 
abortive  all  the  combinations  which  aimed  at  annexa- 
tion of  the  Austrian  Low  Countries  or  resistance  to 
the  projects  of  the  Queen  of  the  Two  Sicilies.  Austria 
took  her  revenge  by  means  of  three  or  four  of  Maria- 
Theresa's  daughters,  and  under  the  most  astonishing 
misapprehension,  the  Governments  (blind  to  the 
hereditary  blemishes,  to  feminine  ambition,  to  the 
anti-dynastic,  anti-national  influence  of  these  women) 
accepted  as  gospel  the  statement  of  Maria-Theresa 
that  her  children  were  monies  a  enfants,  who  brought 
to  the  countries  they  honoured  by  their  advent  a 
reserve  which  would  restrain  them  in  politics,  an 


16   MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [On.  II 

economy  which  they  would  apply  consistently,  a 
harmony  of  virtues  which  would  make  them  good 
mothers,  good  wives,  and  good  sovereigns.  They 
contrived  to  be  Arch  Duchesses  of  Austria,  and  for 
Austria  that  sufficed. 

In  1809,  vanquished  Austria  was  seeking  to  take 
her  revenge.  The  procedure  which  had  been  success- 
ful half  a  century  ago  would  serve  her  turn  again.  It 
was  only  necessary  to  fix  the  price. 

In  1809,  the  Emperor  Francis,  second  of  the  name 
in  Lorraine,  second  in  Germany,  first  in  Austria,  had 
been  reigning  seventeen  years.  He  ascended  the 
throne  on  the  death  of  his  father,  Leopold  II.,  and  had 
made  perpetual  war  upon  France  since  1790,  upon 
Napoleon  since  1796.  The  Emperor  did  not  accom- 
pany his  armies,  but  gambled  by  proxy  and  lost  every 
throw.  The  Low  Countries,  Lombardy,  the  Brisgau, 
the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine  were  his  first  stake  ;  Tus- 
cany and  the  rights  over  Italy  as  a  whole,  the  second  ; 
the  Venetian  States,  Tyrol  and  the  Empire  of  Germany 
itself,  the  third ;  Carnolia,  Trieste,  Friuli,  Carinthia, 
Galicia,  and  Dalmatia,  the  fourth ;  besides  the  war 
subsidies,  and  the  occupation  of  most  of  his  States  by 
the  military  who  might  be  cheery  boon  companions, 
but  were  none  the  less  avaricious  and  out  for  pillage. 
The  Emperor  had  instigated  the  campaigns  and  had 
declared  war  upon  four  occasions  in  the  name  of 
Austria-Hungary.  He  seldom  took  direct  responsi- 
bility, but  lent  his  name  to  the  syndicate  composed 
of  all  the  enemies  of  revolutionary  France.  Consider 
what  that  syndicate  stood  for ;  what  hatred  smoul- 


A  DEGRADED  EMEIRE  17 

dered  beneath  it,  what  strings  it  pulled,  what  relations 
it  established.  It  controlled  cabinets,  armies,  and 
nations  ;  its  aim  was  to  counter  revolutionary  move- 
ments, to  organise  secret  societies  in  the  service  of  the 
autocracy,  to  train  individuals  linked  to  the  Empire 
by  ties  of  which  they  ignored  the  strength  to  promote 
the  uprising  of  Europe  against  her  masters,  for  thus 
only  could  it  compass  the  fall  of  Napoleon.  The 
raison  d'etre  of  this  syndicate  (quartered  in  Vienna 
rather  than  in  London,  whither  nocked  second-rate 
diplomatists,  professional  spies,  deserters  from  the 
French  army,  adventurers  from  all  over  the  world) 
was  its  hatred  of  France,  so  that  on  each  occasion 
when  she  flared  up,  this  syndicate  of  oligarchs  promptly 
did  its  utmost  to  bring  about  civil  war. 

Its  most  recent  enterprise  had  not  been  successful. 
Adopting  the  procedure  of  the  enemy  by  enrolling  in 
their  service  the  forces  it  utilised,  and  by  taking 
advantage  of  the  most  opportune  moment,  the 
oligarchs  had  this  time  risked  all  and  lost  everything. 
The  Empire  of  Germany,  degraded  into  the  Empire 
of  Austria,  became  a  phantasm.  Hungary,  indeed, 
remained,  for  when  Napoleon  at  one  moment  thought 
of  annexing  her,  he  feared  the  dynastic  fidelity  which 
had  declared  with  such  enthusiasm  for  "  King  Maria- 
Theresa."  By  a  strange  monarchical  bias,  he  had 
abstained  from  erasing  this  name  from  the  map  of 
Europe,  just  as,  two  years  previously,  he  had  per- 
mitted Prussia  to  live  and  to  recuperate  her  forces 
in  the  anticipation  of  some  successful  perfidy.  No 
power  accepts  defeat,  unless  it  renounces  its  claim  to 


18    MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [On.  II 

be  a  nation.  Austria  was  at  this  time  nothing  but  a 
fortuitous  grouping  of  States,  but  the  syndicate  that 
governed  her  maintained  an  illusory  life  and  activity. 
So  long  as  the  syndicate  governed,  so  long  as  the 
sovereign  reigned  or  believed  that  he  reigned,  the  one 
would  seek  revenge,  the  other  would  cover  it  with  his 
name.  But  they  resolved  to  alter  their  methods. 
There  had  been  enough  of  wars  and  battles,  enough 
of  conspiracies  and  projected  assassinations.  Gentler 
methods  should  be  resorted  to  : 

Bella  gerant  alii,  tu  felix  Austria  mthe. 

Napoleon  was  just  then  seeking  a  wife,  and  his 
advances  had  met  with  no  encouragement  in  Russia, 
where  he  had  felt  sure  of  a  favourable  answer.  Else- 
where, in  Bavaria,  for  example,  he  met  with  no 
encouragement,  but  in  Vienna  his  proposals  were 
acceded  to  with  incredible  servility.  The  eldest 
daughter  of  the  late  Empress  Maria-Theresa  of 
Bourbon-Sicily  had  attained  the  age  of  eighteen  on 
December  12,  1809.  She  had  no  claim  to  beauty, 
but  was  all  that  could  be  desired  as  the  incarnation 
of  the  House  of  Austria.  She  was  an  attractive  girl, 
fair  and  fresh  with  a  very  white  skin,  tinged  with  red, 
and  pitted  with  small-pox.  Her  figure  was  well 
developed,  her  hands  and  feet  were  abnormally  small, 
her  mouth  and  chin  were  symbolical,  as  representing 
the  race  of  Marie  of  Burgundy  and  Philippe  le  Beau, 
a  mouth  and  chin  which  proclaim  the  degeneration 
of  a  perishing  race,  decimated  by  tuberculosis,  mania, 
and  imbecility.  But  what  appears  to  modern  science 


HER  EDUCATION  19 

as  the  fatal  brand  of  a  decadent  race,  was  then 
regarded  as  the  stamp  of  illustrious  origin.  The 
features  of  Marie-Louise-Leopoldine-Caroline-Lucie 
were  moulded  upon  those  of  her  father,  the  Emperor  ; 
she  possessed  the  grossly  heavy  pendulous  lip,  the 
hall-mark  of  this  House.  A  woman  who  observed 
her  closely  remarked,  "  Her  nose  is  hollowed  at  the 
root,  the  lips  and  lower  part  of  the  face  are  thick 
and  somewhat  heavy,  the  teeth  are  white  but  rather 
far  apart  and  slightly  tilted  forwards,  the  neck  is 
large  but  fine,  the  shoulders  beautiful,  hands  pretty, 
arms  fine  though  somewhat  red,  feet  pretty,  height 
five  feet  two  inches,  in  other  respects  a  fine  woman." 
As  the  eldest  daughter,  at  the  age  of  two,  after 
some  childish  maladies  and  an  attack  of  small-pox 
which  marked  her  permanently,  she  was  given  a 
Household,  which,  in  accordance  with  the  custom 
imported  from  Madrid,  necessitated  an  Aja,  or  Grand 
Mistress,  an  appointment  which  was  not,  as  might  be 
supposed,  superior  to  political  considerations,  but 
was  even  dependent  on  them.  Accordingly,  Marie- 
Louise  had  three  governesses  before  1805.  One  of 
these,  who  exercised  an  undoubted  influence  upon  her, 
was  a  Frenchwoman,  nde  Folliot  de  Crenneville,  who, 
after  marrying  a  Baron  de  Pontet,  Colonel  of  a  Wal- 
loon Regiment,  had  accompanied  him  to  Vienna. 
Her  husband  died,  so  by  intrigue  and  savoir-faire  she 
succeeded  in  1799  in  wedding  Comte  Colloredo- 
Walsee,  Minister  of  State,  Imperial  Chancellor  and 
Grand  Master  of  the  Emperor's  Court  when  he  was 
Arch-Duke  and  heir  apparent.  She  thus  established 


20    MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [On.  II 

herself  down  to  1805  in  her  great  office,  and  although 
she  was  deprived  of  it  after  Austerlitz  by  political 
vicissitudes,  her  influence  over  her  pupil,  who  remained 
constantly  faithful  to  her,  was  undiminished. 

Madame  de  Colloredo  shared  the  opinions  which 
were  in  vogue  at  the  Court  of  Vienna  ;  those  of  the 
Princess  of  the  Two  Sicilies  who  was  its  Empress, 
likewise  of  the  Emperor,  of  the  courtiers  and  of  the 
entire  people ;  naturally  the  Imperial  Princess  was 
precluded  from  holding  any  other  views.  These  she 
expresses  in  her  correspondence  with  her  aja  and  with 
the  daughter  of  the  latter,  Mile,  de  Pontet,  who,  on 
April  1,  1810,  became  Comtesse  de  Crenneville,  by 
her  marriage  with  her  uncle. 

In  these  letters  we  find  sentiments  that  could  not 
have  been  pretence,  but  which  are  the  true  expression 
of  the  mind  of  Marie-Louise.  On  September  8,  1803, 
she  wrote : 

"  Maman  [Mme.  de  Colloredo]  has  made  me  write 
down  the  title  of  a  book  she  wishes  to  obtain  from 
France,  which  she  believes  will  be  suitable  for  us. 
It  is  the  Plutarque  de  la  Jeunesse,  by  the  same  Blan- 
chard  who  wrote  the  two  works  we  have  already 
perused.  It  is  the  life  of  illustrious  men,  from  Homer 
to  Buonaparte.  This  name  tarnishes  his  work,  and 
I  would  have  preferred  that  he  had  concluded  with 
Francis  II.,*  who  has  also  performed  remarkable 
feats  in  re-establishing  the  Theresianum,  etc.,  etc., 
whereas  the  other  has  committed  nothing  but  in- 

*  As  this  letter  was  written  on  September  8,  1803,  Marie-Louis* 
gives  her  father  his  title  of  Emperor  of  Germany. 


HER  OPINION  OF  NAPOLEON          21 

justice  by  depriving  certain  people  of  their  countries. 
.  .  .  Maman  has  just  told  me  of  an  amusing  incident. 
M.  Buonaparte,  when  in  Egypt,  was  saved  with  only 
two  or  three  other  persons  at  the  time  his  army  was 
routed,  and  became  a  Turk ;  that  is,  he  said  to  the 
Turks  '  I.  am  not  your  enemy,  I  am  a  Musulman,  I 
accept  the  Great  Mahomet  as  prophet.'  Afterwards, 
on  returning  to  France,  he  professed  himself  the 
Catholic  which  he  really  is.  Then  only  was  he 
raised  to  the  dignity  of  Consul.  ...  It  is  not  for  me 
to  judge,  but  I  think  it  is  profaning  our  Holy  Religion 
to  say  that  one  belongs  to  another,  for  the  Credo 
states  one  ought  to  confess  one's  faith." 

Here  we  get  to  the  root  of  the  matter.  Marie- 
Louise  was  then  fourteen,  and  that  is  the  kind  of 
history  she  was  taught.  Two  years  later  what  she 
knew  of  Napoleon  was  on  the  same  lines  :  "  You  will 
already  be  aware,"  she  wrote  to  Victoire  de  Pontet, 
"  what  a  snub  Monsieur  Champagny  has  received, 
for  of  all  the  Ministers,  Talleyrand  alone  has  been 
excepted ;  so  it  is  said.  The  Corsican  sent  for 
Champagny  and  asked  him  brusquely  why  he  had 
always  concealed  from  him  the  belligerent  sentiments 
of  the  House  of  Austria.  Champagny  replied  :  '  It 
was  because  I  did  not  know  you  would  take  the  Crown 
of  Italy.'  Thereupon  a  resounding  smack  on  the  face 
was  M.  de  Champagny 's  reward." 

When  the  debacle  came  and  the  Imperial  Princes 
and  Princesses  were  obliged  to  fly  before  the  French, 
such  fictions  availed  them  little.  In  fact,  on  November 
15,  1805,  "  Their  Majesties  the  Emperor  Francis  and 


22  MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [On.  II 

his  wife  the  Empress  Marie-Therese,  simultaneously 
dismissed  Count  Colloredo,  Minister  of  the  Cabinet, 
and  Countess  Colloredo,  Aja  to  the  Arch-Duchess." 

This  palace  revolution  for  the  moment  suppressed 
political  reflections,  but  when  the  war  recommenced 
under  the  influence  of  the  new  Empress  Maria- 
Ludovica  of  Este,  not  only  was  there  no  change  of 
attitude,  but  the  animosity  burned  more  fiercely  than 
before.  This  is  seen  in  the  account  of  the  Battle  of 
Essling,  where,  when  confronted  with  the  Arch-Duke 
Charles,  waving  the  banner  of  the  Grenadiers,  "  The 
French  took  to  their  heels  and  abandoned  Napoleon 
who  cried  after  them  that  he  would  burn  them  with 
the  bridge,  and  with  his  own  hand  slew  two  of  his 
guards."  What  a  triumph  !  "  It  is  the  first  time 
Napoleon  has  been  beaten  in  person.  He  has  lost 
22,000  men  and  16,000  wounded  have  been  trans- 
ported to  Vienna."  And,  at  Buda,  people  were 
flocking  to  the  Orczy  Garden  to  see  the  "  Half -rotted 
and  naked  French  float  by."  The  Arch-Duchess 
concluded :  "I  have  already  on  several  occasions 
been  tempted  to  believe  that  we  are  approaching  the 
end  of  the  world,  and  that  he  who  oppresses  us  is 
Anti-Christ."  The  French  were  to  be  punished  in 
their  turn,  for,  "Verily,  by  their  cruelties  and  sacrileges, 
they  draw  down  the  malediction  of  Heaven.  They 
cast  priests  into  the  flames,  fling  away  the  consecrated 
wafers  to  steal  the  pyx,  and  trample  them  under  foot." 

Now,  however,  came  a  truce.  Bubna  had  been 
sent  to  congratulate  Napoleon  on  his  birthday.  "  I 
am  sure,"  wrote  Marie-Louise,  "  that  he  will  send  his 


NAPOLEON'S  DIVORCE  23 

congratulations  to  Mamma  [the  Empress  Maria- 
Ludovica]  on  her  name-day.  ...  I  assure  you  that 
to  see  this  creature  would  be  for  me  a  worse  torture 
than  all  the  martyrdoms,  and  I  am  not  sure  that  this 
is  not  what  he  has  in  his  mind." 

The  horror  Marie-Louise  had  conceived  of  the 
French  and  of  Napoleon  seems  to  have  possessed  her 
as  it  did  the  entire  Austrian  Court.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  year  1810  the  rumour  spread  that  Napoleon 
was  separated  from  Josephine  and  was  seeking 
another  bride.  Marie-Louise  heard  of  it  from  Kosse- 
luch,  her  professor  of  music.  She  wrote  on  January 
10  to  Mile,  de  Pontet :  "  I  see  him  talking  about  the 
separation  of  Napoleon  from  his  wife.  I  even  have 
an  idea  that  he  thinks  of  me  as  her  successor,  but  in 
this  he  is  mistaken,  for  Napoleon  is  too  much  afraid 
of  a  refusal,  and  too  anxious  to  do  us  more  mischief, 
to  make  any  such  request,  and  Papa  is  too  kind  to 
constrain  me  on  a  point  of  such  importance."  On 
the  same  day  she  wrote  to  Madame  de  Colloredo  :  "I 
let  every  one  talk  and  am  not  the  least  disturbed  by 
it.  I  only  pity  the  unfortunate  princess  he  will  choose, 
for  I  am  certain  it  will  not  be  I  who  am  to  become  the 
victim  of  politics."  Ten  days  later,  she  began  to  grow 
uneasy,  and  wrote :  "  Since  Napoleon's  divorce,  I  open 
every  Frankfort  Gazette  with  the  idea  of  finding  news 
of  the  nomination  of  the  new  wife,  and  I  admit  that 
this  delay  causes  me  involuntary  uneasiness.  I  leave 
my  fate  in  the  hands  of  Divine  Providence  who  alone 
knows  what  can  make  us  happy ;  but,  should  mis- 
fortune so  decree,  I  am  ready  to  sacrifice  my  individual 


24   MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [Cn.  II 

happiness  to  the  good  of  the  State,  being  persuaded 
that  true  happiness  can  only  be  found  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  one's  duties  even  to  the  prejudice  of 
one's  inclinations.  I  will  think  of  it  no  more,  but  if 
it  has  to  be,  my  mind  is  made  up  notwithstanding  it 
will  be  a  double  and  very  painful  sacrifice.  Pray  for 
me,  that  it  may  not  be  so  !  "  Notwithstanding  this 
resignation  it  can  hardly  be  said  that  the  Arch- 
Duchess  accepted  the  cup.  She  wrote  on  the  23rd : 
"  I  know  at  Vienna  they  are  already  marrying  me  to 
the  Great  Napoleon:  I  hope  it  will  end  in  talk  .  .  . 
and  should  it  come  about  I  believe  I  shall  be  the  only 
one  who  will  not  rejoice  at  it.  .  .  ." 

In  the  House  of  Austria,  the  Princesses  were  not 
consulted.  They  were  brought  up  to  realise  that 
marriage  for  them  was  entirely  a  matter  of  expediency, 
inseparable  from  the  politics  of  the  House.  Usually 
speaking,  however,  the  Princes  in  question  were  on 
an  equality,  whereas  in  this  case  the  wooer  was  a 
parvenu — "  Le  Parvenu  Corse."  No  matter  !  When 
the  Emperor  shall  invoke  the  higher  interests  of  the 
Dynasty,  Marie-Louise  will  say,  like  her  sister  Leo- 
poldine  at  the  moment  of  her  departure  to  wed  the 
Emperor  of  Brazil :  "I  confess  that  the  sacrifice  of 
leaving  my  family,  and  that  perhaps  for  ever,  will  be 
very  painful  to  me,  but  this  alliance  gratifies  my 
father,  and  in  separating  myself  from  him,  I  shall 
have  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  I  have  conformed 
to  his  wishes,  being  persuaded  that  Providence  directs 
our  fate  as  princesses  in  a  special  way,  and  that  we  are 
obeying  its  will  in  submitting  to  that  of  our  parents." 


25 

More  brutally,  Metternich  said  :  "  Our  princesses 
are  rarely  accustomed  to  choose  their  husbands 
according  to  the  affections  of  their  heart,  and  the 
respect  paid  to  the  will  of  her  father  by  a  child  so 
good  and  well  brought  up  as  the  Arch-Duchess, 
makes  me  hope  that  we  shall  encounter  no  obstacle 
on  her  side." 

When  the  marriage  had  been  finally  decided  on 
by  Imperial  policy,  no  objection  could  be  admitted  ; 
for  the  rest,  none  was  made  either  by  the  Emperor  or 
by  his  daughter. 

It  was  from  the  courier  who  bore  her  marriage- 
contract  signed  by  Schwarzenberg  that  the  Arch- 
Duchess  learned  all  at  once  that  she  had  been  asked, 
promised,  and  bestowed,  and  that  she  was  about  to 
be  handed  over.  Nor  was  it  even  her  father  who 
warned  her  of  the  imminence  of  the  sacrifice  to  be 
exacted  from  her.  It  was  Metternich,  who  having 
sought  an  interview  with  the  Emperor,  remarked: 
"  Sire,  occasions  occur  in  the  life  of  States  as  in  that 
of  individuals,  in  which  a  third  person  cannot  put 
himself  in  the  place  of  the  one  responsible  for  the 
decision  to  be  taken.  .  .  .  Your  Majesty  is  Sovereign 
and  Father  ;  you  alone  can  properly  be  consulted  in 
regard  to  your  duties  as  Father  and  Emperor." 
Whereupon  the  Emperor  remarked :  "  I  leave  the 
decision  to  my  daughter,  for  I  would  never  constrain 
her.  I  desire  before  taking  my  duties  as  Sovereign 
into  consideration,  to  know  what  she  intends  to  do. 
Go  and  seek  the  Arch-Duchess,  and  bring  me  word 
what  she  has  said  to  you."  Undoubtedly  he  knew 


26   MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [On.  II 

what  he  could  count  on.  At  Buda,  when  he  had 
spoken  to  his  daughter  of  a  necessary  sacrifice,  he 
had  known  she  would  bow  to  it,  therefore  he  had 
summoned  her  a  few  days  previously  to  Vienna,  so 
that  she  might  be  ready  at  hand. 

'  What  does  my  father  wish  ?  "  inquired  the  Arch- 
Duchess  of  Metternich,  to  which,  when  the  Minister 
assured  her  that  she  was  entirely  free  to  say  what  she 
wished,  she  declared  :  "  I  desire  only  what  my  duty 
commands  me  to  desire.  When  the  interests  of  the 
Empire  are  in  question  they  must  be  considered,  and 
not  my  wish.  Entreat  my  father  to  do  only  his  duty 
as  Sovereign  and  not  to  subordinate  it  to  my  personal 
interest."  When  Metternich  reported  these  words  to 
the  Emperor,  he  replied :  "  What  you  say  does  not 
surprise  me,  I  know  my  daughter  too  well  not  to  have 
anticipated  a  similar  reply.  I  have  employed  the 
time  you  passed  with  her  in  making  my  decision. 
My  consent  to  this  marriage  will  secure  to  the 
Monarchy  some  years  of  political  peace  which  I  can 
devote  to  healing  its  wounds.  I  owe  entire  considera- 
tion for  the  happiness  of  my  people,  therefore  I  must 
not  hesitate." 

The  sacrifice  once  resolved  on,  nothing  further  had 
to  be  taken  into  consideration,  neither  the  Revolution, 
nor  the  death  of  Marie  Antoinette,  nor  the  origin  of 
the  Corsican's  family  ;  not  his  habits,  nor  his  manners, 
nor  the  way  in  which  he  beat  his  Ministers  and  killed 
his  Generals.  Nothing  mattered  beyond  securing  to 
the  Monarchy  some  years  of  political  peace.  Surely 
it  might  be  inferred  from  this  observation  of  the 


NAPOLEON'S  AMBITION  27 

Emperor,  that  Austria  had  now  formulated  her  plans, 
and  in  thus  gaining  a  reprieve  which  would  permit 
her  to  recuperate  her  forces,  she  would,  when  the  day 
arrived,  resume  her  intentions  which  had  been  four 
times  interrupted,  and  deliver  a  new  and  decisive 
assault  ? 

But  what  about  the  Arch-Duchess  ?  Are  we  to 
suppose  that  she  was  in  the  plot,  that  her  father  had 
imparted  to  her  projects  of  which  he  was  not  yet 
fully  cognisant  1 

He  saw  a  means  of  gaining  time,  of  securing  for 
himself  a  few  years  in  order  that  he  might,  if  occasion 
arose,  resume  operations  against  France,  but  was  not 
certain  either  of  the  time  or  the  opportunity.  In 
Europe  every  State  was  in  the  same  plight.  The 
letters  of  Alexander  of  Russia  to  his  mother,  the 
Empress  Marie-Feodorovna,  prove  that  he  never 
acted  in  good  faith  after  Tilsit ;  and  even  after  Erfurt 
he  did  not  fling  himself  into  the  combat,  though  he 
refused  to  take  advantage  of  the  Spanish  successes, 
and  though  a  little  later  on  he  seemed  almost  to  be 
faithful  to  the  French  Alliance,  it  was  still  the  same 
story.  He  refused  to  sacrifice  his  sister  ;  did  he,  or 
was  it  the  Empress  Mother  ? 

Napoleon,  on  his  side,  saw  in  this  marriage  the 
consummation  of  his  amazing  fortune.  He,  the  son 
of  a  Clerk  of  the  Records  in  Corsica,  who  had  died  in 
debt  and  almost  insolvent;  he,  the  exhibitioner  of 
Brienne,  the  Jacobin  General  who  had  destroyed  the 
Royalists  at  Toulon  and  had  crushed  them  in  Paris ; 
who  in  Italy  and  Egypt  had  carried  pillage  and 


28   MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [On.  II 

devastation  along  his  track  ;  lie  was  now  on  the  eve 
of  wedding  a  daughter  of  the  House  of  Austria.  The 
consideration  that  he  was  already  married,  and  that 
the  attitude  he  had  adopted  in  regard  to  his  first  wife 
indicated  that  he  reserved  a  privileged  place  for  her 
alongside  the  second,  had  been  of  no  more  weight  than 
the  legends  with  which  his  life  was  surrounded.  The 
canons  of  the  Church,  and  the  prescriptions  of  religious 
marriage,  had  gone  by  the  board.  He  came,  he  saw, 
he  conquered !  Every  point  had  been  yielded  and 
he  was  to  come  into  possession.  He  reviewed  it  all. 
He  was  genuinely  elated  by  the  magnificence  of  the 
union  he  was  about  to  contract ;  he  handled  it,  held 
it,  and  realized  hi  it  all  the  splendour  of  the  alliances 
it  procured  and  the  consummated  entry  into  the 
Family  of  the  Kings.  He  would  no  longer  be  the 
parvenu  who  had  carved  for  himself  an  Empire  out  of 
the  ancient  Monarchies  by  force  of  arms  ;  who  brought 
in  his  train  brothers  and  sisters,  a  babbling  crowd  of 
women  with  their  lovers,  and  men  with  their  mistresses, 
a  horde  of  new-comers,  devoid  of  genius,  talent,  and 
still  more  of  distinction.  He  was  now  making  his 
position  secure,  consolidating  it,  and  uniting  it  with 
the  most  ancient  tradition  of  which  Europe  could 
boast,  for  he  would  become  simultaneously  a  Bourbon 
and  a  Hapsburg.  He  saw  himself  as  the  nephew  of 
Louis  XVI.  and  of  Marie- Antoinette,  the  great- 
nephew  of  Louis  the  XIV.  and  Maria-Theresa.  He 
would  assume  the  glory,  the  achievement  of  centuries, 
acquired  only  by  the  labour  of  generations,  which  he 
had  attained  after  ten  years  of  victory,  of  struggle, 


NAPOLEON'S  ARRANGEMENTS          29 

and  the  reconstruction  of  France ;  all  these,  indeed, 
had  failed  to  carry  him  to  the  summit,  but  this 
marriage  would  establish  him  there.  He  hastened  to 
secure  his  prize. 

As  soon  as  Schwarzenberg's  courier  was  on  the 
road  to  Vienna,  Napoleon  began  to  organise  and 
arrange,  not  forgetting  to  make  provision  for  his 
children !  The  trousseau  and  marriage  gifts  must 
be  dispatched  from  Paris,  nothing  was  to  be  purchased 
in  Vienna.  The  dowry  allotted  to  Marie-Antoinette, 
Queen  of  France,  was  inadequate  for  Marie-Louise, 
the  Empress.  The  Empress  must  have  four  millions. 
His  eldest  son  will  be  the  King  of  Rome  :  true,  the 
last  to  bear  this  title  was  the  Emperor  Francis,  King 
of  the  Romans,  but  what  of  that  ?  Of  what  account 
is  the  title  of  King  of  Rome  to  him,  when  he  has  lost 
the  Holy  Romano- Germanic  Empire  1  Should  it 
not  revert  to  Napoleon,  who  is  in  possession  of  the  city 
of  Rome  and  the  patrimony  allocated  by  the  Emperor 
Charles  V.  to  the  Holy  Father  ?  Is  it  enough  to  have 
provided  for  one  son  ?  Must  there  not  be  a  throne 
for  the  younger  brother  ?  So  Eugene,  deprived  of 
the  promised  succession  to  the  Kingdom  of  Italy  (the 
stipulated  condition  of  his  marriage),  was  reduced  to 
the  inheritance  of  the  Grand-Duchy  of  Frankfort. 
Napoleon  contented  himself  with  providing  for  two 
boys  ;  due  credit  must  be  allowed  for  his  moderation. 

As  soon  as  the  courier  returned  from  Vienna  with 
the  assent  of  Marie-Louise,  the  news  was  officially 
announced  to  the  Emperor's  family ;  it  was  com- 
municated to  the  Senate,  and  made  the  occasion  of 

c 


30  MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [On.  II 

sports  and  fetes.  Berthier,  Prince  de  Neuchatel  and 
Prince  de  Wagram,  was  dispatched  to  ask  for  the  hand 
of  the  Arch-Duchess  at  Vienna,  and  to  bring  back  the 
new  Iphigenia  in  all  haste.  Napoleon's  impatience 
was  so  great  that  he  would  not  allow  his  companion 
in  arms  to  display  his  taste  for  luxury  and  his  "  yellow 
magnificence."  *  Berthier  was  bidden  to  take  a 
limited  suite  of  some  sixteen  servants  and  no  State 
carriages.  The  Household  of  the  Empress  was 
appointed ;  the  Duchesse  de  Montebello  (widow  of  the 
hero  slain  at  Essling)  was  selected  to  be  lady-in- 
waiting  in  place  of  Mme.  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  who 
was  superannuated.  The  other  ladies  had  all  formed 
part  of  Josephine's  Household ;  but  the  grand  rdle 
was  not  on  this  occasion  allotted  to  the  lady-in- 
waiting.  This  position  had  to  be  reserved  for  a  near 
relative  of  the  Emperor,  some  one  possessing  dignity, 
activity,  and  decision.  Elisa  was  out  of  the  question 
for  this  office  of  Superintendent  of  the  Household  ; 
she  had  the  requisite  intelligence,  but  not  sufficient 
dignity ;  Pauline  was  impossible ;  as  were  also  the 
sisters-in-law,  Julie  and  Hortense  ;  Catherine  was  too 
young  and  inexperienced,  though  she  alone  would  have 
the  traditions,  the  breeding,  and  the  manners,  but  she 
was  unsuited  to  the  post.  Caroline,  the  youngest  of 
Napoleon's  sisters,  alone  remained  ;  ambitious,  thirst- 
ing for  honours,  infatuated  with  etiquette,  intelligent, 
dominating,  full  of  enterprise  and  perseverance,  she 
was  capable  of  carrying  out  the  most  difficult  missions. 

*  Berthier  had  a  passion  for  yellow,  which  he  displayed  in  his  livery, 
hie  carriages,  and  even  in  the  uniform  of  his  soldiers. 


THE  EMPRESS'S  LADIES-IN-WAITING    31 

She  knew  her  own  mind,  and  nothing  could  make  her 
yield  nor  bend.  She  might  be  lacking  in  formalities 
and  graces  and  thus  offend  the  Princess  whose  first 
responsibilities  were  to  be  confided  to  her ;  but  on 
points  of  ceremonial  no  concession  would  be  made, 
the  Emperor's  orders  would  be  punctually  executed, 
and  the  Austrian  Court  would  have  only  what  was 
due  to  it  and  nothing  more.  Much  indeed  could  be 
said  against  the  appointment.  Caroline  had  had 
more  than  one  liaison,  and  every  one  at  Court  knew 
that  she  was  on  the  best  of  terms  with  Metternich  ;  a 
more  serious  drawback  was  the  fact  that  she  occupied 
the  throne  of  Marie-Louise's  grandmother  at  Naples, 
and  that  in  fulfilling  for  the  Empress  the  part  allotted 
under  Marie- Antoinette  to  the  Princesse  de  Lamballe, 
she  might  acquire  undue  influence,  and  establish  her- 
self as  directress.  The  fact,  however,  that  she  would 
be  compelled  to  spend  much  of  her  time  at  Naples, 
made  the  risk  of  such  ascendancy  very  small,  also 
there  was  Madame  de  Montebello  to  be  reckoned 
with. 

At  first  this  lady,  whether  because  she  had 
determined  from  that  time  to  submit  to  no  authority 
that  might  interfere  with  her,  or  because  she  enter- 
tained a  strong  antipathy  to  the  Emperor  on  personal 
grounds,  or  because  she  took  no  interest  in  the  matter 
and  from  this  very  fact  acquired  an  irresistible 
influence  over  a  young  girl  craving  to  be  loved,  did 
not  appear  at  the  outset  to  have  any  desire  for 
domination.  She  had  been  Mademoiselle  Gueheneue, 
the  daughter  of  a  senator,  and  bore  a  name  of  great 


32  MAEIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [On.  II 

distinction  after  her  marriage — that  of  a  Marshal  of 
the  Empire,  the  most  faithful  of  the  Emperor's 
companions,  the  best  soldier,  and  the  only  marshal 
hitherto  slain  on  the  field  of  battle.  But  in  spite  of 
this  she  had  neither  the  education,  nor  the  good 
manners,  still  less  the  character  for  such  a  post.  She 
was  pretty,  and  she  knew  it,  but  she  was  amiable  only 
towards  her  friends.  They  received  all  her  favours 
and  were  only  two  or  three  in  number :  Corvisart, 
the  physician,  and  an  equerry,  M.  de  Saint- Aignan ; 
none  were  women.  She  liked  to  withdraw  with  her 
children  to  live  a  solitary  life  in  her  chateau  at 
Maisons,  in  her  house  in  the  rue  d'Enfer,  or  even  in  a 
more  distant  estate  inherited  from  her  parents.  She 
had  a  mania  for  bibelots  of  every  kind,  porcelain, 
bronzes,  jewels,  fans,  she  collected  everything,  coveted 
everything,  and  acquired  it.  After  her  death,  the  sale 
of  her  effects  continued  for  weeks  at  her  house. 

It  should  have  been  Madame  de  Montebello's  duty 
to  whisper  suggestions  in  the  Empress's  ear,  as 
to  words,  phrases,  graces,  social  hints,  and  all  those 
considerations  which  Josephine  had  so  tactfully 
employed  towards  every  one,  but  Marie-Louise  cared 
little  for  these  things  and  Madame  de  Montebello  even 
less.  She  disdained  and  despised  all  who  were  not  of 
her  own  set.  She  hated  the  Emperor,  who  had  not 
made  her  a  Princess  like  Madame  Davout  or  Madame 
Massena,  not  that  the  title  would  have  rendered  her 
more  assiduous  in  her  duties,  or  more  concerned  with 
the  mysteries  of  etiquette.  She  had  no  memory,  nor 
did  she  trouble  to  cultivate  one.  So  much  the  worse 


MADAME  DE  LUCAY  33 

if  she  blundered  over  names ;   if  they  aspired  to  be 
illustrious  what  did  that  matter  to  the  Empress  ? 

Marie-Louise  was  shy,  and  haughty,  but  seeing 
she  was  encouraged  in  this  at  every  turn,  how  should 
she  be  otherwise  ? 

Madame  de  Lu§ay,  who  was  Mistress  of  the  Robes, 
might  have  acquired  some  influence  had  Marie-Louise 
been  a  coquette  and  shown  a  little  taste  in  the  manner 
of  adorning  herself,  instead  of  restricting  the  choice 
of  her  gowns  to  definite  colours  in  consequence  of 
being  constantly  dominated  by  the  idea  of  keeping 
within  her  allowance.  But  Madame  de  Lu9ay  was 
bound  hand  and  foot  by  etiquette.  In  the  first  place, 
she  was  preoccupied  with  the  frequent  illness  of  her 
gouty  husband,  also  with  her  daughter  and  son-in-law 
Segur,  besides  which  she  was  over-awed  by  the 
Emperor,  who  was  for  her  the  embodiment  of  wisdom. 
She  was  of  no  account  and  the  ladies  of  the  Palace 
even  less  so. 

Whether  they  were  Josephine's  former  ladies,  or 
were  nominated  in  consequence  of  being  nearer  in 
age  to  the  new  Empress,  they  did  not  appear,  and 
when  etiquette  required  their  presence  they  behaved 
like  a  dumb-show,  seeming  barely  to  exist.  Some  of 
them,  coquettes  desirous  of  playing  a  part,  might  win 
a  glance  from  the  Emperor  which  was  lucrative  ;  that 
was  all,  she  was  and  she  would  be  just  Madame  de 
Montebello  and  nothing  more.  From  the  very  first 
day  of  the  arrival  of  the  Prince  Vice-Constable  at 
Vienna,  all  passed  off  as  was  intended,  including  the 
visits,  the  presentations,  the  receptions,  the  fauteuils, 


34  MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [On.  II 

the  speeches,  the  gestures,  the  amazing  cortege  which 
accompanied  Berthier  to  the  Burg  as  he  issued  from 
the  Schwarzenberg  Palace  outside  the  Carinthian 
Gate,  whither  the  Grand  Marshal  of  the  Court  had 
proceeded  with  great  pomp  to  fetch  him.  Owing  to 
rigorous  discipline  this  most  sumptuous  and  magnifi- 
cent pageant  moved  by  word  of  command  with  the 
silence  of  a  regiment,  for  every  gesture  had  been 
regulated  with  mechanical  precision. 

Headed  by  a  detachment  of  cavalry,  in  advance 
of  three  grooms  on  horseback  in  gala  livery,  the  State 
coach  of  the  Privy  Councillors  and  Chamberlains  was 
followed  by  a  second  State  carriage  drawn  by  six 
horses  containing  the  Ambassador's  secretary  with 
his  Master  of  the  Ceremonies  and  the  Steward  of  the 
Court.  Liveried  footmen,  running  grooms,  and  the 
Grand  Marshal's  lackeys  followed  in  the  liveries  of 
the  Ambassador  of  France.  Then  appeared  six 
horses  drawing  the  State  carriage  of  the  Ambassador 
and  Grand  Marshal,  attended  by  two  of  the  Emperor's 
footmen  in  gala  livery  at  the  doors,  together  with 
three  major-domos  of  the  Palace  mounted,  and  the 
Ambassador's  equerry  and  aides-de-camp ;  then 
followed  two  outriders  with  the  second  equerry  of  the 
Ambassador,  after  which  three  carriages,  each  drawn 
by  six  horses,  followed  one  another  containing  the 
officials  (cavaliers)  of  the  Embassy  with  officers  of  the 
Ambassador's  Household,  attended  by  outriders. 
The  procession  terminated  with  a  detachment  of 
cavalry. 

After  his  reception  by  the  Prince  of  Zinzendorf? 


BERTHIER  IN  VIENNA  35 

the  Ambassador,  accompanied  by  the  Grand  Marshal, 
entered  the  Palace  followed  by  his  entire  household 
and  passed  between  the  ranks  of  Grenadiers,  Palace 
Guards,  Musketeers,  and  the  Hungarian  Guard  of 
Nobles.  His  flunkeys  he  left  in  the  Traban  Hall,  the 
officers  of  his  household  in  the  Hall  of  the  Gentlemen, 
and  the  Embassy  officials  between  the  two  first 
columns  of  the  great  new  hall.  On  finding  himself 
in  the  presence  of  the  Emperor,  who  stood  beneath  a 
canopy  with  his  head  covered,  Berthier  bared  his 
head,  bowing  three  times.  The  Emperor  did  not 
uncover  until  after  the  first  salutation,  and  replaced 
his  hat  immediately.  The  Ambassador  delivered  his 
speech  with  his  head  covered,  but  removed  its  covering 
each  time  he  pronounced  the  name  of  one  of  the  two 
Sovereigns,  and  whenever  the  name  of  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  was  mentioned,  the  Emperor  Francis 
saluted. 

The  impress  of  the  Revolution  was  seen  at  the 
Grand  Banquet  which  took  place  in  the  Empress' 
apartments,  when  for  the  first  time  the  humble  folk, 
not  accredited  with  thirty-two  quarterings,  were 
admitted  and  received.  At  the  costume  ball  which 
followed  the  repast,  held  in  the  salons  of  the  Imperial 
Redoubt,  six  thousand  persons  were  present :  some, 
like  Prince  Esterhazy,  covered  with  diamonds. 
Lejeune,  one  of  Berthier's  gentlemen,  challenged 
Esterhazy  to  the  first  duel,  and  Esterhazy  promised 
him  to  wear  this  dress  ;  what  amenities  ! 

On  March  8  the  suit  was  preferred.  In  his 
speech  to  the  Emperor  Francis,  Berthier  remarked : 


36  MARIE-LOUISE  BEFOEE  MARRIAGE  [Cn.II 

'*  The  eminent  qualities  for  which  this  Princess  is 
distinguished  have  destined  her  for  a  place  upon  a 
great  throne.  She  will  thus  ensure  the  happiness 
of  a  great  People  and  that  of  a  great  man."  To  which 
the  Austrian  simply  replied :  "  I  grant  the  hand  of 
my  daughter  to  the  Emperor  of  the  French/' 

The  Arch-Duchess,  accompanied  by  her  Grand 
Mistress  and  Grand  Master,  was  thereupon  presented 
by  the  Grand  Chamberlain.  Having  approached  her 
father  with  a  deep  curtsey  and  bowed  to  the  Ambas- 
sador, she  took  her  seat  on  the  Emperor's  left. 
Berthier  made  another  speech  as  he  handed  the 
portrait  of  Napoleon  to  the  Arch-Duchess,  mean- 
while holding  a  letter  in  his  hand.  This  is  the 
letter : 

"  Madame  ma  sceur,  the  success  of  the  suit  that 
I  have  preferred  to  H.M.  the  Emperor  your  father, 
to  unite  myself  with  you  in  marriage,  is  a  very  precious 
indication  of  the  esteem  and  consideration  he 
bestows  on  me.  I  am  deeply  touched  by  the  consent 
that  you  on  your  part  give  to  a  union  that  consum- 
mates for  me  the  greatest  joy  and  which  should 
adorn  my  whole  life.  ...  I  have  charged  the  Prince 
de  Neuchatel,  my  Ambassador  Extraordinary  and 
Plenipotentiary,  to  deliver  to  you  my  portrait.  I 
beg  you  to  receive  it  as  a  gage  of  the  sentiments 
which  are  graven  on  my  heart  and  which  will  be 
unalterable." 

To  the  phrase,  "  It  is  above  all  from  your  heart, 
Madame,  that  the  Emperor  my  Master  desires  to 
obtain  you,"  Marie-Louise  replied :  "  With  the 


37 

permission  of  my  father  I  give  my  consent  to  my 
union  with  the  Emperor  Napoleon."  She  thereupon 
desired  her  governess  to  affix  the  Emperor's  portrait 
to  her  breast. 

The  reserve  of  the  Austrians  contrasted  with  the 
phrases  of  the  Bergers  de  Lignon,*  which  seemed  so 
out  of  place  in  the  mouth  of  the  conquerors.  After 
conclusion  of  such  formalities  as  the  solemn  renunci- 
ation of  the  Austrian  Succession,  confirmation  of  the 
Pragmatic  Sanction  and  the  Order  of  Succession,  the 
oath  was  taken  before  the  crucifix ;  followed  at  the 
Grand  Theatre,  in  presence  of  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  together  with  the  Arch-Duchess,  the  Ambas- 
sador and  his  whole  suite,  by  a  representation  of 
Iphigenie  en  Aulide,  by  Gluck.  The  marriage  con- 
tract, involving  delivery  of  the  dowry  of  400,000 
francs  in  gold  ducats  enclosed  in  a  coffer,  followed. 
This  caused  the  Archbishop  of  Vienna  to  raise  his 
timid  protest,  seeing  that  the  Austrian  Court  recog- 
nised neither  the  major  excommunication  fulminated 
by  the  Pope,  June  11,  1809,  nor  the  reservation  by 
the  Holy  See  in  regard  to  annulment  of  marriages 
among  sovereigns  ;  but  the  certificate  of  the  Ambas- 
sador of  France  having  been  held  sufficient,  all  was 
ready  and  nothing  remained  but  to  proceed  with  the 
marriage.  It  would  be  solemnised  on  the  llth,  which 
was  a  Sunday,  the  only  day  of  the  week  in  Lent  on 
which  it  was  permissible  to  celebrate. 

The  cortege,  which  was  marshalled  in  the  apart- 

*  Characters  in  L'Astrde,  a  pastoral  play  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
to  which  allusions  abound  in  the  French  literature  of  the  period. 


38  MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [Cn.  II 

ments,  passed  through  the  Augustinian  Cloister, 
draped  with  green  cloth,  in  order  to  reach  the  church. 
In  order  of  precedence  with  majestic  array,  the  Prince 
de  Neuchatel  preceded  the  Arch-Dukes  who  walked 
two  and  two,  until  the  last  before  the  Emperor  was 
the  Arch-Duke  Charles,  whom  Napoleon  had  nomi- 
nated to  represent  himself  at  the  nuptial  ceremony. 
After  the  Emperor  the  Empress  was  seen  leading 
the  fiancee. 

Complication  arose  during  the  ceremonial  cele- 
brated according  to  the  ritual  of  Vienna  in  the  German 
tongue,  in  consequence  of  a  stranger,  who  was  not  a 
King,  having  been  admitted  during  the  Imperial 
Banquet  to  the  Emperor's  table  for  the  first  time. 

It  was  on  the  13th  that  the  Empress  of  the 
French  set  out  on  her  journey.  Escorted  in  her 
carriage  by  Arch-Duke  Charles  between  two  ranks  of 
soldiers,  at  a  walking  pace,  she  traversed  the  streets 
of  Vienna  filled  by  a  saddened,  almost  indignant 
crowd.  The  cannon  thundered,  the  bells  clashed, 
Marie-Louise  arrived  at  Saint-Polton  whither  the 
Emperor  had  gone  with  all  the  Imperial  family. 
There,  on  the  13th  of  the  month,  was  held  the  last 
dinner,  the  last  soiree.  Next  morning  after  Mass  the 
new  Empress  took  leave  of  her  father. 

The  handing  over  was  to  be  accomplished  at 
Braunau.  The  retinue  with  which  Marie-Louise  was 
to  arrive  after  having  halted  on  the  14th  at  Ems  in 
the  Palace  of  the  Prince  of  Auersperg  and  on  the 
16th  at  Ried,  consisted  of  eighty-three  carriages  or 
waggons  together  with  four  hundred  and  fifty-three 


BKAUNAU— ALTHEIM  39 

draught-horses  and  eight  saddle  horses.  Besides  the 
Grand  Masters  and  Grand  Mistresses  there  were 
twelve  ladies  of  the  Palace,  twelve  Chamberlains,  and 
a  detachment  of  the  Hungarian  Guard  of  Nobles ; 
the  personnel  exceeded  three  hundred  dignitaries. 

The  handing  over  did  not  actually  take  place  at 
Braunau,  for  the  town  contained  no  suitable  premises  ; 
consequently  the  engineers  of  the  French  army,  in 
occupation  since  1809,  had  put  up  temporary  buildings 
divided  into  three  halls  (French,  Neutral,  and  Austrian) ; 
two  entrances  led  up  to  the  building,  one  on  the 
Braunau  side  (typifying  France)  and  the  other  to- 
wards Altheim  (for  Austria).  Nothing  had  been 
omitted  from  its  luxurious  appointments,  and  stoves 
distributed  an  agreeable  warmth  through  the  rooms. 
Avenues  planted  with  green  trees  gave  a  permanent 
aspect  to  this  temporary  construction.  Having  left 
Eied  at  eight  in  the  morning  of  the  16th,  the  Empress 
arrived  at  Altheim  at  eleven,  where  she  divested  her- 
self of  her  travelling  garments  and  reached  the 
temporary  buildings  at  two  o'clock.  The  French 
had  been  awaiting  her  in  their  halls  for  an  hour  and 
a  half  in  gala  costume.  Having  rested  in  the 
Austrian  hall  she  passed  into  the  central  hall,  where 
her  Court  assembled  round  her.  The  French  Court 
now  entered  and  took  up  its  position  opposite  the 
Austrian  Court.  The  Acts  of  handing  over  and 
Reception  were  read  and  the  signatures  appended 
and  sealed.  The  Austrian  cortege  took  leave  with 
tears  as  they  kissed  the  hand  of  their  Arch-Duchess, 
after  which  the  Austrian  Commissary  gave  the  hand 


40  MARIE-LOUISE  BEFORE  MARRIAGE  [On.  II 

of  the  Empress  to  the  French  Commissary.  Caroline 
made  her  entree,  embraced  Marie-Louise,  and  welcomed 
her. 

There  was  yet  another  ceremony  with  the  Arch- 
Duke  Antoine,  who  had  been  sent  by  the  Emperor  of 
Austria  to  compliment  the  Queen  of  Naples,  so  they 
took  carriages  for  Braunau,  seven  in  number.  That 
of  the  Empress  having  eight  white  horses,  surrounded 
by  grooms  and  pages  on  horseback,  kept  in  the  centre 
of  the  cortege,  which  denied  between  the  Friant, 
Padone,  and  Pajol  Divisions,  amid  salutes  from  the 
officers  with  banners,  cannons  firing  a  salvo,  and 
trumpets  sounding.  They  arrived  at  Braunau,  where 
a  palace  had  been  constructed  by  breaking  through 
the  walls  of  two  houses. 

The  trousseau  was  exhibited  by  the  Lady  of  the 
Bedchamber.  Marie-Louise,  whose  hair  and  dress 
were  now  arranged  a  la  franqaise,  received  the  homage 
of  her  ladies  and  officers  of  her  household. 

Before  the  departure  of  Count  von  Trauttmans- 
dorfi,  who  had  charge  of  the  handing  over,  the 
Empress  entrusted  to  him  the  last  letter  she  was  able 
to  write  freely  to  her  father.  "  I  think  of  you  con- 
tinually, and  I  shall  always  think  of  you.  God  has 
given  me  strength  to  bear  this  last  shock  courageously. 
In  Him  alone  I  place  all  my  confidence.  He  will  help 
me  and  will  give  me  courage,  and  I  shall  find  calm  in 
the  resolution  to  fulfil  my  duty  to  you,  since  I  have 
made  you  this  sacrifice."  She  then  described  her 
emotions  at  being  separated  from  all  her  ladies, 
except  Countess  Lazinkska,  her  Grand  Mistress, 


41 

whom  Napoleon  had  promised  to  leave  near  her,  and 
who  before  the  end  of  the  week  would  be  sent  back 
to  Vienna :  she  mentioned  the  "  icy  shudder  that 
fell  upon  her  "  and  her  repugnance  to  the  French 
women :  "  Oh  God !  so  different  to  the  Viennese 
ladies."  Her  feeling  of  insecurity  with  regard  to 
the  Queen  of  Naples,  to  whom,  however,  she  was 
astonishingly  amiable  ;  the  ordeal  of  the  two  hours' 
toilette,  whence  she  emerged  as  perfumed  as  the 
French  women  whose  society  during  a  long  journey 
she  dreaded ;  the  discomfiture  of  not  having  yet 
received  a  letter  from  Napoleon ;  all  these  were 
recorded. 

Such  were  her  thoughts  at  the  moment  when  she 
was  entering  on  her  new  life,  when  she  was  about  to 
adopt  at  one  and  the  same  moment  a  husband  and 
the  customs  of  a  country,  all  unknown  to  her,  and 
hostile  alike  to  her  pride,  her  race,  her  past,  in  short 
to  everything  that  mattered  to  her  ! 


CHAPTER  III 

FROM  BBAUNAU  TO  COMPI^GNE,   1810 

IT  may  be  instructive  to  consider  for  a  moment  the 
commissariat  necessary  for  the  retinue  of  the  Empress 
when  on  tour.  The  following  was  the  customary 
procedure  in  France  according  to  Imperial  etiquette, 
Royalty  would  have  done  otherwise.  Some  curtail- 
ment might  possibly  have  been  anticipated — but  it 
was  not. 

The  procession  was  divided  into  three  parts.  The 
first  started  twelve  hours  before  her  Majesty,  headed 
by  a  Sub-Inspector  of  Posts  with  an  outrider,  pre- 
ceding seven  carriages,  the  first  of  which  was  a  chariot 
drawn  by  six  horses  containing  two  ladies-in-waiting 
and  a  major-domo,  having  on  the  box  a  footman  and 
a  mechanic.  The  second,  also  a  chariot  with  six 
horses,  conveyed  two  chamberlains,  an  almoner,  and 
a  master  of  the  ceremonies ;  the  third  chariot,  also 
drawn  by  six  horses,  contained  a  first  woman  of  the 
chamber,  a  woman  of  the  wardrobe,  an  usher  and  a 
valet  de  chambre,  having  a  valet  and  a  polisher  on 
the  box.  The  fourth  carriage  consisted  of  a  landau 
drawn  by  four  horses  conveying  a  major-domo  and 
a  page  having  on  the  box  the  latter's  footman,  and 
followed  by  a  caterer's  cart  in  which  rode  a  maitre 

42 


43 

d'hdtel,  an  officer,  and  two  cooks.  After  these  followed 
a  landau  with  four  horses  conveying  two  of  the  Ladies' 
waiting  women ;  and  lastly,  a  gondola  with  six  horses 
for  the  servants  of  the  personnel  of  the  suite — 38 
horses  and  2  hacks,  together  with  34  persons. 

Her  Majesty's  cortege,  preceded  by  an  Equerry,  a 
Sub-Inspector,  an  outrider,  three  under-grooms,  com- 
prised eight  carriages :  a  chariot  with  six  horses  for 
the  Lady-in-waiting,  the  Gentlemen-in-waiting,  the 
first  Equerry,  a  lady  of  the  Court;  on  the  box  a 
footman  and  a  mechanic.  The  Empress's  carriage 
with  six  horses,  coachman  and  footman  on  the  box ; 
a  chariot  with  six  horses  for  the  Mistress  of  the  Kobes, 
a  lady-in-waiting,  two  chamberlains;  on  the  box  a 
footman  and  a  runner ;  two  landaus  with  four  horses 
for  the  equerries  and  the  medical  service ;  a  chariot 
with  six  horses  for  the  women,  a  caterer's  cart  for  the 
commissariat,  and  a  chariot  for  the  Ladies'  waiting- 
women — 52  horses. 

The  third  procession  left  six  hours  after  the  second, 
and  included  a  landau  for  two  pages,  a  landau  for  the 
valets-de-chambre,  a  waggon  on  springs  with  six 
horses  for  the  wardrobe,  a  similar  waggon  with  eight 
horses  for  the  plate  and  china,  a  gondola  for  the 
servants — 28  horses.  Total,  120  horses  levied  from  the 
country. 

The  equipage  was  organised  with  military  pre- 
cision. Each  started  by  order  from  the  equerry  in 

charge  of  the  departures,  e.g.  "  Madame  de  K 

will  accompany  the  procession  which  leaves  the 
Tuileries  on  March  1,  at  five  in  the  morning.  She 


44    FROM  BRAUNAU  TO  COMPI1EGNE  [On.  Ill 

will  take  her  place  in  chariot  No.  76  with  Madame  de 

and  MM.  de .    There  will  be  half  a  valise 

for  two  persons,  a  dressing  case  for  each,  to  be  fetched 
and  brought  to  the  stables  on  the  evening  before  the 
departure,  at  eight  o'clock.  A  place  for  a  lady's- 
maid  in  chariot  No.  23." 

The  departure  took  place  on  the  17th,  after  Mass, 
amid  discharges  of  artillery.  Braunau  was  reached 
on  the  9th.  The  Empress  received  congratulations 
at  Haag  from  the  Prince  of  Bavaria,  and  at  eight  in 
the  evening  reached  Munich  amid  the  firing  of  cannon 
and  pealing  of  bells,  where  the  King  and  Queen  of 
Bavaria  awaited  her  at  the  foot  of  the  Palace  stairs. 
She  supped  alone  with  the  Queen  of  Naples,  and  the 
following  day  heard  Mass  at  noon  in  the  Throne- 
room  from  her  own  apartment.  Visits  were  ex- 
changed, and  just  as  the  State  dinner  was  about  to  be 
commenced  M.  de  Saint  Aignan,  Equerry  to  the 
Emperor,  arrived  with  the  first  letter  from  his 
Master.  The  Queen  of  Naples,  at  the  suggestion  of 
Madame  de  Montebello,  thereupon  pretended  to  have 
received  orders  from  her  brother,  and  insisted  that 
Madame  Lazinska  should  be  sent  back  to  Vienna. 
Notwithstanding  that  the  Emperor  had  written  to 
Count  Otto  on  the  25th  February,  "  There  will  be  no 
difficulty  about  a  lady  companion  accompanying  the 
Empress  during  her  journey  ;  I  should  even  prefer  a 
lady  companion  to  a  waiting  woman,"  Caroline 
declared  she  had  her  orders.  Nothing  Austrian 
should  remain,  not  even  the  little  Viennese  lapdog, 
her  companion  and  last  witness  of  the  past.  "  The 


STUTTGART  45 

Emperor,"  she  said,  "  detests  dogs,  and  will  not  allow 
them  in  the  Palace ;  "  the  little  animal  therefore  had 
to  go  with  Madame  Lazinska,  who  took  a  plaintive 
letter  with  her  from  the  Empress  in  which  she  neither 
accused  the  Emperor,  for,  as  she  said,  "  It  is  certainly 
not  his  idea,"  nor  did  she  blame  Madame  de  Monte- 
bello  who  plotted  the  intrigue,  but  only  the  Queen 
of  Naples  who  dealt  this  double  blow. 

The  royal  dinner  was  followed  by  a  performance 
of  Paer's  Achille.  On  the  morning  of  the  19th  the 
whole  Bavarian  Court  was  present  at  the  Empress's 
departure,  which,  notwithstanding  she  was  tired  and 
really  unwell  owing  to  a  cold,  Caroline  insisted  on. 
Luncheon  was  taken  in  Augsburg  with  the  former 
Elector  of  Treves,  and  in  the  evening  the  Empress 
arrived  at  Ulm,  where  the  Grand  Chamberlain  of 
Bavaria  left  her.  A  start  was  made  at  nine  o'clock 
on  March  20.  After  having  received  congratulations 
at  the  frontier  of  Wurtemburg,  her  Majesty  reached 
Stuttgart  at  half-past  four,  where  the  King  and  Queen 
received  her.  She  only  spoke  to  the  King,  the  Queen, 
and  the  Princess  Royal ;  the  Princes  were  not  ad- 
dressed. ''  These  matters  of  etiquette  are  rather 
extraordinary,"  wrote  the  King  of  Wurtemburg,  but 
he  dared  not  complain.  "  At  last !  "  he  exclaimed, 
"  it  is  aU  over." 

Caroline,  on  the  contrary,  filled  the  Courts  of 
Germany  with  her  lamentations.  The  King  of 
Wurtemburg  wrote,  "  The  poor  Queen  of  Naples  is 
very  tired,  and,  indeed,  who  would  not  be  ?  What 
a  task  they  have  given  her !  Really  it  is  impossible. 


46    FROM  BBAUNAU  TO  COMPlEGNE  [On.  Ill 

She  does  her  best,  but  I  think  she  is  somewhat  tired 
of  the  post."  How  she  had  worked  for  this  mission  ! 
Having  promised  herself  no  small  gain  from  it,  neither 
trouble  nor  profit  came  amiss  to  her. 

After  dinner,  the  representation  of  a  German 
opera,  The  Judgment  of  Solomon,  was  given.  On 
the  21st  they  started  at  nine  o'clock  for  Carlsruhe, 
which  was  reached  at  half-past  five.  The  reception 
here  was  the  same  as  at  Munich  and  Stuttgart,  save 
that  the  sons  of  the  Hochberg  did  not  appear  at  the 
dinner.  After  the  presentations  a  performance  of 
Sargines,  an  opera  by  Paer,  was  given. 

Next  day,  the  22nd,  the  Empress  was  due  to  arrive 
in  France,  and  after  lunching  at  Rastadt,  entered 
Strasbourg  through  streets  green  with  trees,  passing 
under  a  triumphal  arch  which  had  been  erected  at 
the  extremity  of  the  bridge,  amid  troops,  garlands, 
and  illuminations  everywhere.  But  this  was  nothing 
in  comparison  with  the  rejoicings  the  following  day. 
After  Mass  in  the  Imperial  Palace,  she  received  M.  de 
Metternich,  then  the  authorities  presented  by  Madame 
de  Lu9ay,  woman  of  the  chamber  in  the  absence  of 
Madame  de  Montebello,  who  did  not  appear  during  the 
halt  at  Strasbourg,  owing  to  the  body  of  her  husband 
being  buried  there.  From  the  balcony  of  the  Palace, 
the  Empress  viewed  the  procession  of  the  City  Cor- 
porations as  it  passed  along  the  terraces  by  the  111, 
bearing  the  emblems  of  their  trades  or  professions. 
At  half-past  three,  she  drove  to  the  Robertsau  and 
surveyed  the  guests  at  a  banquet  of  seven  to  eight 
thousand  persons,  who  drank  her  health.  At  eight  in 


STRASBURG  47 

the  evening  she  visited  the  Hotel  de  la  Prefecture,  to 
witness  a  fete  at  which  a  cantata  was  rendered  and 
a  quadrille  arranged  for  the  most  aristocratic  of  the 
young  girls  of  the  city.  Amid  the  general  illuminations 
that  of  the  Spire,  for  which  50,000  lamps  or  cressets 
were  employed,  called  forth  general  admiration,  as 
also  the  illumination  of  an  elevated  set  piece  in 
front  of  the  Palace,  where  three  jets  of  water  spouted 
forth  amid  thousands  of  lamps.  On  the  24th,  at  eight 
in  the  morning,  the  Prince  de  Neuchatel  sent  a 
telegraphic  dispatch  to  the  Emperor  announcing  her 
departure  :  "  Her  Majesty  is  well  and  has  a  great 
desire  to  arrive  speedily  at  Compiegne,  but  we  are 
delayed  by  the  enthusiasm  of  the  towns.  Her 
Majesty  is  much  pleased  with  the  city  of  Strasbourg." 
Thus  the  Empress  expressed  herself :  "  I  beg  you, 
dearest  Papa,  to  pray  earnestly  for  me.  You  may  be 
sure  that  I  shall  make  every  effort  to  give  you  the 
consolation  you  expect  from  me." 

Certainly,  from  the  standpoint  of  ceremonial, 
nothing  was  omitted.  In  accordance  with  the  Em- 
peror's orders  everything  had  been  regulated,  point 
by  point,  on  the  procedure  employed  for  the  marriage 
of  Louis  XVI.,  whom  Napoleon  now  habitually 
referred  to  as  "  My  predecessor,"  and  occasionally 
as  "  My  poor  uncle."  M.  de  Dreux-Breze,  Grand 
Master  in  1789,  was  deferentially  consulted.  The 
Emperor  noted  the  least  incident  and  sent  letters 
daily  by  M.  de  Beauvau  to  Stuttgart,  by  M.  de  Bondy 
to  Carlsruhe,  by  Prince  Corsini  to  Luneville,  by 
Marechal  Bessieres  to  Nancy,  not  to  mention  the 


48    FROM  BRAUNAU  TO  COMPlEGNE  [On.  Ill 

pheasants  killed  by  his  own  hand,  a  piece  of  Royal 
gallantry,  forwarded  by  pages. 

Lejeune,  aide-de-camp  to  the  Prince  de  Neuchatel, 
participated  in  all  the  ceremonies,  for,  being  credited 
with  talent  as  a  painter,  he  was  in  favour  with  the 
Prince  for  whom  he  designed  uniforms  or  liveries, 
and  in  like  manner  with  the  Emperor  himself  to  whom 
he  related  Court  gossip.    He  arrived  at  Compiegne 
with  the  Prince  de  Beauvau,  who  brought  a  letter 
from   Marie-Louise.    After   giving   audience   to   the 
Prince,  the  Emperor  took  Lejeune  to  his  own  room 
and  demanded  an  account  of  all  the  ceremonies  held 
at  Vienna,  Munich,  and  Stuttgart.     With  regard  to  the 
portrait  of  the  Empress  which  he  brought,  Napoleon 
questioned  Lejeune  upon  every  detail  of  the  likeness. 
Lejeune  exhibited  the  profile  he  had  sketched,  and 
the  Emperor  at  once  exclaimed :    "  Ah !    that  is 
indeed  the  Austrian  lip  of  the  Hapsburgs."  Napoleon 
thereupon  produced   the   medals   of   the   Emperors 
which  he  compared  with  the  portraits  while  detain- 
ing Lejeune   over  an  hour.    An   outbreak    of   fire 
occurred  at  the  top  of  the  chateau,  but  he  paid  no 
attention  to  it.    His  whole  mind  was  fixed  on  the 
reputed  plainness  which  was  the  hall-mark  of  a  race 
which   placed   in  the  hands  of  the   conqueror  not 
only  Marie-Louise,  but  her  entire  lineage,  enabling 
him  to  share  in  a  long-established  royalty.    He  holds 
it,  he  possesses  it,  and  the  whole  of  his  past  has 
vanished ! 

Meanwhile  the  Empress  was  approaching.    Having 
left  Strasbourg  on  the  24th  at  nine  in  the  morning, 


NANCY-SILLERY  49 

she  reached  Saverne  in  time  for  lunch,  and  in  the 
evening  at  six  o'clock  arrived  at  the  Sous-Prefecture 
of  Luneville,  where  she  dined.  Next  day,  being 
Sunday,  she  started  after  Mass  and  breakfast,  at 
eleven  o'clock.  At  one  o'clock  she  was  at  Nancy, 
where  the  Due  d'Istrie,  on  horseback,  met  her  and 
handed  her  a  letter  from  the  Emperor.  Napoleon 
sent  her  a  brief  note  with  his  usual  signature.  On 
this  occasion  the  letter  "  N  "  with  which  he  signed 
it  was  4j  centimetres  high  and  9  centimetres  wide. 
The  whole  of  his  pride,  his  power,  and  realised  ambition 
were  in  this  letter  "  N  "  !  It  signified  the  height  of 
his  power  and  connoted  his  decadence  and  fall. 

At  four  o'clock  Marie-Louise  showed  herself  upon 
the  balcony  of  the  Prefecture  where  she  was  staying  ; 
then  received  the  authorities,  accepted  flowers,  and 
held  a  reception  for  the  men  and  women  of  the  town. 
After  a  second  appearance  on  the  balcony  she  attended 
at  the  Comedie,  where  an  act  of  La  Rosi&re  was  per- 
formed, preceded  by  an  appropriate  prologue.  From 
the  Comedie  she  was  taken  to  the  Mairie,  where  she 
was  received  by  the  principal  ladies  of  the  town,  and 
from  which  she  saw  the  illuminations.  Notwith- 
standing all  these  diversions  she  returned  to  the 
Prefecture  by  nine  o'clock. 

The  following  day  a  page  arrived  from  the  Emperor, 
bringing  from  Compiegne  three  pheasants  shot  by  his 
Imperial  and  Royal  Master.  She  stopped  for  lunch 
at  Sillery,  with  the  Senator  Comte  de  Valence ;  at 
half-past  five  she  arrived  at  Vitry-sur-Seine,  where 
she  stayed  at  the  Sous-Prefecture  and  saw  no  one 


50    FROM  BBAUNAU  TO  COMPIEGNE  [On.  Ill 

except  Prince  Schwarzenberg  and  Comtesse  de  Metter- 
nich,  who  had  come  from  Paris  to  meet  her. 

This  was  the  final  stage :  next  day  would  bring 
her  to  the  ceremonies  of  the  handing  over  at  which 
the  Emperor  would  be  called  upon  to  play  a  singularly 
difficult  part,  since  it  would  involve  the  roles  of  father, 
sovereign,  and  husband.  The  Empress  left  for  Soissons. 
When  she  reached  the  Courcelles  post-house  *  it  was 
pouring  in  torrents,  and  a  short  stout  man,  drenched 
with  rain,  was  waiting  under  the  church  porch.  He 
was  accompanied  by  only  one  Cavalier  with  flowing 
hair,  in  full  uniform.  The  mysterious  man  hurried 
forward  to  look,  but  the  Equerry  had  already  lowered 
the  step,  opened  the  carriage  door  and  proclaimed, 
"  The  Emperor." 

The  Emperor  entered  the  carriage  and  embraced 
his  wife,  who  was  quite  embarrassed  by  his  looks  and 
manners. 

No  more  delay ;  no  dinner  at  Soissons,  nothing 
less  than  post  haste,  and  that  was  too  slow  for  Na- 
poleon. They  hurried  past  the  post-houses  and  rolled 
on  towards  Compiegne,  where  they  arrived  at  ten 
o'clock  through  a  deluge  that  extinguished  the  lamps 
and  chilled  the  spectators  and  guards,  who  had  eaten 
nothing.  The  family  who  assembled  at  the  foot  of 
the  staircase,  were  hurriedly  presented,  but  the  little 
girls  with  their  baskets  of  flowers  and  the  citizens  who 
had  come  to  offer  congratulations,  he  ignored.  In 
the  apartment  provided  for  the  Empress  he  im- 
provised a  supper  to  which  Caroline  alone  was 

*  Where  they  change  horses. 


"AM  I   TEULY  MARRIED?"  51 

admitted  as  a  third  party.  Afterwards  he  asked  : 
"  What  instructions  have  you  received  from  your 
parents  ?  "  "To  belong  entirely  to  you  and  to  obey 
you  in  all  things,"  replied  the  bride,  so  he  took  her  at 
her  word ! 

Next  day  at  noon  the  women  of  the  Empress 
served  the  Emperor's  dejeuner  beside  her  bed.  "  Am 
I  truly  married  ?  "  he  inquired  of  Cardinal  Fesch,  to 
which  the  Cardinal,  after  some  hesitation,  replied  in 
the  affirmative.  So  it  was  all  right ;  besides  which 
there  was  the  precedent  of  Henri  IV.  Nevertheless, 
after  two  hours'  acquaintance,  the  procedure  might 
have  appeared  brutal  and  this  wooing  unceremonious, 
had  Marie-Louise  not  been  a  Princess  of  Austria  ! 
Martainville  made  a  song  about  it,  and  the  denizens 
of  the  Faubourg  scrambled  for  copies,  hoping  to  dis- 
concert the  Emperor  with  them.  This  did  not  affect 
him  at  all,  and  among  the  people  there  was  no  dis- 
pleasure at  his  impetuosity ! 

A  crowd  was  awaiting  the  Empress  at  Compiegne. 
First  the  Emperor's  family,  consisting  of  the  King 
and  Queen  of  Holland  and  the  King  and  Queen  of 
Westphalia,  Princess  Pauline  and  Prince  Borghese, 
the  King  and  Queen  of  Naples,  the  Grand  Duke  and 
Grand  Duchess  of  Baden,  the  Grand  Duke  of  Wiirz- 
burg,  Prince  Schwarzenberg,  Count  and  Countess 
Metternich,  Comte  Clary.  The  Italian  household — 
Codronchie,  Litta,  Caprara,  Ferraroli,  then  the  Mini- 
sters Bassano,  Cadore,  Otranto,  Daru.  Lastly,  the 
whole  of  the  Emperor's  staff. 

The  Princes  and  Princesses  had  received  invita- 


52    FROM  BBAUNAU  TO  COMPlEGNE  [On.  Ill 

tions  at  their  own  homes  from  the  quartermaster  of 
the  Palace,  but  as  each  Princess  was  allotted  accom- 
modation for  one  lady  only  and  each  Prince  for  one 
gentleman,  their  suites  were  lodged  in  the  hotels  hired 
for  them,  for  it  was  not  considered  sufficient  to  present 
to  the  Empress  all  who  were  on  duty  during  this 
journey,  besides  the  officers  and  ladies  of  the  House- 
hold who  had  not  taken  part  in  it,  such  as  Colonels, 
Generals  of  the  Guard,  and  the  Grand  Officers  of 
France  and  Italy ;  but  there  still  remained  the 
Duchesses  and  Princesses  and  the  wives  of  the  Grand 
Officers.  These  arrived  on  the  28th  to  be  presented 
on  the  29th.  The  invitation  was  as  follows  :  "  Court 
dress  must  be  worn.  As  there  will  be  great  difficulty 
in  obtaining  post  horses,  particularly  for  the  return, 
you  should,  if  possible,  bring  your  own."  Twenty- 
one  leagues !  However,  it  was  a  great  honour  and 
eagerly  sought  after.  Three  relays  were  required 
which  necessitated  twelve  horses,  besides  one  for  the 
outrider  who  preceded  the  carriage.  Court  dress  was 
essential,  as  it  was  compulsory  for  the  presentations  ; 
but  Charbonnier,  the  fashionable  coiffeur,  had  arranged 
to  be  at  Compiegne,  otherwise  the  Grand  Marshal 
would  lend  his  wife's  waiting-woman  ! 

After  this  brief  honeymoon,  Napoleon  wrote  to  the 
Emperor  of  Austria : 

"  Monsieur,  my  brother  and  father-in-law,  your 
Majesty's  daughter  has  already  been  here  two 
days.  She  fulfils  all  my  hopes,  and  these  two  days  I 
have  not  ceased  to  give  and  to  receive  from  her  the 
proofs  of  the  tender  sentiments  that  unite  us.  We 


STAINS— GAGNY  53 

are  in  perfect  agreement.  I  shall  do  everything  to 
promote  her  happiness  and  shall  owe  mine  to  your 
Majesty.  Your  Majesty  will  therefore  permit  me  to 
thank  you  for  the  splendid  present  you  have  made 
me  and  your  paternal  heart  may  rejoice  in  the  as- 
surance of  the  welfare  of  your  beloved  child." 

To  which  he  added  :  "  Your  Imperial  Majesty  must 
never  doubt  my  sentiments  of  esteem  and  high  regard 
nor  above  all  the  tenderness  I  have  vowed  to  her." 
Was  this  not  indeed  a  futile  effusion,  whereof  Martain- 
ville  had  betrayed  the  secret  ? 

By  the  Emperor's  own  direction,  they  departed 
for  Saint-Cloud  on  April  2  ;  but  the  religious  marriage 
would  be  celebrated  at  the  Tuileries.  Accordingly, 
on  March  30,  at  midday,  he  left  Compiegne  in  a  coach 
with  the  Empress  and  the  Queen  of  Naples.  On 
entering  the  department  of  Seine-et-Oise,  likewise  on 
their  entry  into  the  department  of  the  Seine,  they 
received  congratulations  from  the  Prefets  and  the 
Departmental  Authorities.  Between  Stains  and 
Gagny,  at  4.40,  the  Prefet,  accompanied  by  the  Sous- 
Prefet  and  fifty-one  Mayors,  surrounded  also  by  an 
immense  crowd  on  foot  and  on  horseback,  received 
the  Emperor  and  Empress  in  front  of  a  marvellously 
decorated  pavilion.  "  The  weather  was  foggy,  cold 
and  damp,  but  hindered  no  one,"  said  Madame  de 
Beaumarchais.  :(  There  were  at  least  four  hundred 
carriages,  and  crowds  of  ladies  from  Paris,  exclusive 
of  young  men  on  prancing  horses.  It  was  a  counter- 
part of  Longchamp.  Their  Majesties  were  very  late. 
.  .  .  Unfortunately  the  Emperor  was  in  a  hurry  to 


54    FROM  BRAUNAU  TO  COMPlfiGNE  [On.  Ill 

arrive  at  Saint-Cloud,  where  lie  was  expected  at  five 
o'clock,  so  in  military  fashion  he  cut  short  the  speeches ; 
of  which  he  had  not  heard  a  syllable.  The  carriages 
did  not  stop  for  more  than  five  minutes,  then  the 
horses  were  whipped  up  and  the  cortege  went  off  at 
full  speed.  At  Porte  Maillot  the  horses  were  changed. 
The  Emperor's  equipage  formed  a  procession  com- 
posed of  five  carriages  drawn  by  six  horses  and  two 
having  eight,  escorted  by  Dragoons  and  Chasseurs  of 
the  Guards. 

A  salvo  of  one  hundred  guns  together  with  the 
band  of  the  Foot  Guards  and  lines  of  Grenadiers 
greeted  them  at  Saint-Cloud.  At  the  foot  of  the 
Grand  Staircase  the  Princes,  Princesses,  and  the  Grand 
Dignitaries  who  had  returned  from  Compiegne  waited 
to  salute  their  Majesties  as  they  passed  through  the 
Grand  Apartments  to  those  of  the  Empress.  In  the 
evening  there  was  a  family  dinner,  which  should  have 
been  followed  by  a  presentation  of  the  Italian  Court 
ladies,  but  this  was,  however,  postponed  owing  to  a 
change  in  the  programme.  "  On  the  day  of  the 
Empress's  arrival  at  Saint-Cloud,  no  presentations  will 
be  made,  except  of  the  Princes  and  Princesses  of 
the  Imperial  Family  and  of  the  Grand  Dignitaries 
who  will  be  presented  on  her  Majesty's  arrival. 
Should  there  be  a  reception  after  dinner  none  but 
persons  who  have  been  presented  will  be  admitted 
to  it." 

All  these  details  were  of  the  utmost  importance  in 
the  mind  of  the  Emperor.  A  Commission  of  Exterior 
relations  had  been  charged  to  inquire  whether  the 


PUNCTILIOUS   FORMALITIES  55 

ceremonial  arranged  at  Vienna  had  been  in  conformity 
with  that  followed  on  previous  occasions,  and  to 
ascertain  that  no  possible  slight  had  been  shown  to 
the  Ambassador  Extraordinary.  So  much  for  Vienna. 
In  Paris  the  alterations  in  the  program  me  of  ceremonies 
were  so  numerous  that  it  became  necessary  to  suspend 
the  distribution  of  the  sheets  already  printed  on 
March  23,  as  they  were  being  revised  up  to  the  last 
hour.  Investigations  were  made  as  to  the  witnesses 
who  had  assisted  at  the  marriage  of  Louis  XV.,  and 
Louis  XVI.,  on  either  side.  Eventually,  after  a  serious 
examination,  Duroc  informed  the  Grand  Master  there 
should  be  no  witnesses.  The  following  question  was 
put  to  d'Hauterive  :  "  What  was  the  position  of  the 
Ambassador  of  the  Nation  of  a  foreign  Princess,  upon 
the  occasion  of  her  marriage  with  a  French  Sovereign 
or  Prince  in  person  according  to  ancient  custom  ? " 
After  an  exhaustive  search  d'Hauterive  excused  him- 
self  for  lack  of  documentary  evidence.  The  same, 
however,  was  not  the  case  with  regard  to  the  notifica- 
tions of  the  marriage :  he  was  able  to  avail  himself 
of  the  constant  usage  of  the  Court  of  France,  at  least 
since  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV.,  by  which  the  marriages 
of  the  Royal  Family  had  been  notified  by  Ambassadors 
or  diplomatic  agents,  and  was  therefore  able  to  decide 
against  the  gentilhommes  ordinaires  of  the  King,  who, 
in  1778,  had  claimed  the  prerogative  of  notifying  the 
birth  of  Princes  and  Princesses  of  the  Royal  Family 
at  foreign  courts.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Emperor 
had  not  yet  resuscitated  the  gentilhommes  ordinaires. 
On  this  occasion,  diplomatic  agents  would  suffice ; 


56    FROM  BRAUNAU  TO  COMPlEGNE  [On.  Ill 

later  on,  for  the  birth  of  the  Princes,  further  arrange- 
ments could  be  made. 

To  return  to  presentations,  the  following  were 
made  on  the  day  of  the  civil  marriage.  First  the 
Ministers,  the  Cardinals,  and  the  Grand  Officers  of  the 
Empire  or  those  who  had  precedence  and  enjoyed  the 
like  prerogatives ;  next  the  wives  of  Ministers  and 
Grand  Officers.  No  other  presentations  were  to  be 
made,,  although  a  large  concourse  would  attend  on 
that  day  at  Saint-Cloud.  "  It  will  be  permissible  to 
take  up  a  position  as  His  Majesty  passes.  The  curtsies 
will  constitute  a  presentation,  care  must  therefore  be 
taken  that  each  is  according  to  precedence  and  that 
the  wives  take  among  themselves  the  rank  of  their 
husbands  until  after  the  presentations ;  the  guests 
will  not  be  admitted  promiscuously." 

The  decisions  as  to  details  of  etiquette  were  in- 
numerable because  they  would  constitute  a  precedent, 
and  had  to  include  the  two  Courts  of  France  and  Italy 
and  would  in  future  be  the  model  for  Naples,  Madrid, 
Amsterdam,  Cassel,  Florence,  and  wherever  else  there 
were  Napoleonic  Courts.  The  Emperor  appeared  to 
take  a  singular  pleasure  in  this  meticulous  and  some- 
times childish  labour.  He  delighted  in  it  and  elabo- 
rated it.  Doubtless  he  saw  points  in  it  which  fifty 
years  of  democracy  hinder  us  from  appreciating,  and 
for  which  a  parallel  could  hardly  be  found  even  in  the 
so-called  Monarchical  States.  He  fastened  on  them 
as  if  they  were  serious  matters,  and  if  he  varied  the 
details,  it  was  because  he  brought  to  bear  on  them  such 
differences  of  appreciation  as  usually  attach  to  minutiae. 


A  PECULIAR  CEREMONY  57 

A  ceremony  of  a  peculiar  character  preceded  the 
marriage.  On  March  31,  the  Comte  de  Remusat, 
First  Chamberlain  and  Master  of  the  Wardrobe,  set 
forth  at  eleven  in  the  morning  from  the  Tuileries  with 
three  Court  carriages,  preceded  and  followed  by  an 
escort  of  twenty-five  men.  He  was  received  at  the 
door  of  the  Archbishop's  Palace  by  two  Canons,  and 
at  the  foot  of  the  staircase  by  two  Vicars  General, 
and  was  conducted  by  three  Vicars  General  and  six 
Canons  to  the  chamber  in  which  the  crown  and  mantle 
of  the  Empress  were  deposited.  These  were  carried 
to  his  carriage  and  deposited  on  the  front  seat,  while 
he  sat  respectfully  at  the  back.  The  first  carriage 
contained  four  Canons  in  cassocks  and  long  cloaks ; 
the  second,  the  crown  and  mantle,  with  the  Bishop  of 
Liege  and  the  Master  of  the  Wardrobe  ;  the  third,  two 
Vicars  General  and  two  Canons.  On  arrival  at  the 
Tuileries,  while  M.  de  Remusat  and  the  Bishop  of  Liege 
bore  the  Imperial  mantle  into  the  Emperor's  chamber 
and  handed  it  over  to  the  Grand  Chamberlain,  the 
sentries  of  the  Salle  des  Gardes  presented  arms  and 
the  drums  beat  a  salute.  M.  de  Montesquieu  deposited 
the  mantle  in  the  chapel  and  mounted  a  military 
guard  over  it. 

The  cortege  with  its  escort  continued  on  its  way  to 
Saint-Cloud.  On  its  arrival  it  received  a  salute  from 
the  sentries  of  the  Salle  des  Gardes  and  drummers. 
The  Deputy  Governor  of  the  Palace  received  the 
cortege  at  the  entrance  to  the  Chapel,  in  which  the 
crown  was  deposited  upon  a  cushion  in  the  centre, 
where  it  was  guarded  by  two  attendants  while  it 


58    FROM  BRAUNAU  TO  COMPlEGNE  [On.  Ill 

remained  there.    This  crown  was  the  subject  of  a 
special  edict  of  the  Emperor. 

"  On  the  day  of  her  marriage,"  he  wrote,  "  the 
Empress  will  wear  the  coronation  crown  which  is 
not  beautiful  but  which  has  a  particular  significance 
which  I  desire  to  attach  to  my  dynasty.  It  is  only 
to  be  worn  on  the  most  solemn  occasions.  For 
ordinary  ceremonies  the  Empress  will  wear  the  closed 
diamond  crown  which  has  no  special  feature,  and 
which  I  have  ordered  to  be  made  for  her  out  of  the 
crown  diamonds.  On  the  day  after  the  marriage  she 
will  wear  the  closed  diamond  crown  for  her  reception." 

So  anxious  was  the  Emperor  that  everything  should 
proceed  according  to  his  regulations  that  he  wrote  on 
the  margin  of  one  of  the  numerous  drafts  submitted 
to  him  by  the  Grand  Master  of  the  Ceremonies, 
entitled  Arrangements  for  the  Marriage  of  His  Majesty, 
"  Returned  to  the  Grand  Master  of  Ceremonies  for 
transmission  to  each  Grand  Officer,  in  order  that  every 
precaution  shall  be  taken  for  the  prompt  execution 
of  each  part  in  the  present  arrangements."  This  he 
signed. 

Zaire  was  performed  at  the  Court  Theatre  on 
March  31  ;  this  was  Marie-Louise's  first  introduction 
to  the  French  theatre.  Evidently  the  choice  was 
made  by  the  Emperor,  for  no  subordinate  would  have 
suggested  it ! 

On  April  1,  in  the  Gallery  of  Saint-Cloud,  the  Civil 
Marriage  was  solemnised.  A  platform  had  been 
erected  on  which  were  placed  two  thrones  surmounted 
by  a  canopy.  At  the  foot  of  the  platform  and  at  one 


THE  CIVIL  MARRIAGE  59 

side  of  it  were  an  inkstand  and  the  Registers  of  the 
Civil  State,  arranged  on  a  cloth-covered  table.  The 
Masters  and  Officials  of  the  Ceremonies  had  placed  the 
officers  and  ladies  not  on  duty  behind  the  platform  ; 
in  front  of  it  all  the  privileged  ladies,  Ambassadors, 
Cardinals,  and  Ministers,  each  of  whom  held  an  im- 
portant office  or  took  a  prominent  position.  At  two 
o'clock  the  cortege  started,  displaying  all  the  pomp  of 
France  and  Italy  before  and  behind  the  Emperor. 
Their  Majesties  seated  themselves  upon  their  thrones. 
The  Princes  of  the  Imperial  Family  and  the  Princes 
who  ranked  as  Grand  Dignitaries  sat  upon  chairs  on 
either  side  of  them  according  to  their  family  rank. 
The  Secretary  of  the  Civil  State  of  the  Imperial  Family 
was  in  front  of  the  table.  The  Emperor  being  seated, 
the  Grand  Master  of  the  Ceremonies  proceeded  to 
announce  the  Prince  Arch-Chancellor,  who  thereupon 
placed  himself  before  the  Emperor's  throne  and  after 
an  obeisance,  proclaimed,  "  In  the  name  of  the  Em- 
peror "  ;  whereupon  their  Majesties  rose.  He  then 
continued :  "  Sire,  does  your  Imperial  and  Royal 
Majesty  declare  that  you  will  take  in  matrimony  her 
Imperial  and  Royal  Highness  Marie-Louise  Arch- 
Duchess  of  Austria,  here  present  ?  "  The  Emperor 
replied  in  the  exact  words  used  by  Cambaceres. 
After  which  the  question  was  put  to  the  Arch-Duchess, 
who  replied,  whereupon  Cambaceres  concluded  :  "  In 
the  name  of  the  Emperor  and  of  the  Law  I  declare 
that  His  Imperial  and  Royal  Majesty  Napoleon, 
Emperor  of  the  French,  King  of  Italy,  and  Her 
Imperial  and  Royal  Highness  the  Arch-Duchess 


60    FROM  BRAUNAU  TO  COMPIfcGNE  [On.  Ill 

Marie-Louise  are  united  in  matrimony."  Their 
Majesties  then  resumed  their  seats.  The  table  was 
placed  before  them  and  the  Grand  Master  of  Cere- 
monies handed  them  the  pen.  They  remained  seated 
while  they  signed,  the  members  of  the  family  signed 
standing,  followed  by  the  Arch-Chancellor  and  Secre- 
tary of  State.  The  Grand  Master  announced  the 
ceremony  over,  whereupon  the  cortege  re-formed  and 
returned  to  the  apartments  of  the  Empress. 

After  dinner  their  Majesties  adjourned  to  the 
private  drawing-room,  where  the  suite,  who  were  to 
accompany  them  to  the  play,  had  assembled.  The 
procession  then  passed  through  the  Great  Apartments 
and  the  illuminated  Orangery.  Iphigenie  en  Aulide 
was  performed  ;  truly  a  peculiar  choice  ! 

After  the  play  the  Emperor  escorted  the  Empress 
to  her  apartment,  but  on  leaving  she  accompanied 
him  to  the  first  salon,  for  this  was  a  false  exit.  It 
had  been  arranged  at  first  that  he  should  sleep  at 
Trianon,  secondly  at  the  Pavilion  d'ltalie  in  the  park 
of  Saint-Cloud,  nevertheless  he  remained  in  the 
apartment  of  the  Empress. 

The  park  was  illuminated  and  the  Grand  Cascade 
spouted  fire  ;  Debucourt  utilised  this  subject  for  one 
of  his  finest  engravings.  Coloured  lights  played  on 
the  fountains,  amusements  of  all  kinds  were  provided 
under  the  trees.  An  immense  crowd  had  assembled, 
but  the  wind  blew  tempestuously,  and  the  rain  fell  in 
torrents. 

At  daybreak  the  weather  was  still  uncertain,  but 
the  sun  appeared  as  the  first  gun  announced  their 


THE  EELIGIOUS  MARRIAGE  61 

departure  for  the  Tuileries  where  the  religious  marriage 
would  be  celebrated.  After  the  Empress  had  been 
robed,  the  Emperor  joined  her,  and  assisted  at  the 
symbolical  ceremony,  at  which  the  Ladies-in-waiting 
of  France  and  Italy  and  the  Mistress  of  the  Robes, 
placed  on  her  head  the  coronation  crown  brought 
from  the  chapel,  by  a  master  of  the  ceremonies 
escorted  by  four  ushers.  The  Empress  was  wearing 
the  crown  diamonds  and  a  superb  marriage  robe 
embroidered  in  jewels  and  spangles,  made  by  Leroy 
for  12,000  francs.  The  Emperor  wore  a  Spanish 
costume  of  white  satin  embroidered  in  gold,  the 
mantle  of  which  was  covered  with  golden  bees.  On 
his  head  he  wore  a  cap  of  black  velvet  ornamented 
with  ei"ht  rows  of  diamonds  and  three  white  feathers 

C2 

fastened  by  a  knot,  in  the  middle  of  which  the  Regent 
diamond  blazed.  The  cap  did  not  fit,  it  had  to  be 
altered  twenty  times,  every  possible  way  of  wearing 
it  had  been  attempted,  but  finally  it  was  pronounced 
satisfactory. 

The  following  was  the  order  of  the  procession  when 
the  carriages  were  marshalled  :  Lancers  of  the  Guard, 
Chasseurs  of  the  Guard,  Dragoons  of  the  Guard,  with 
their  bands  and  standards.  Then  thirty-six  carriages 
of  six  horses  for  the  Masters  of  Ceremonies,  the 
Chamberlains  of  France  and  Italy,  Les  Grands  Aigles 
of  the  Empire,  the  Ministers,  the  Ladies  of  the  Court 
of  France  and  Italy,  the  Grand  Officers  of  Italy,  the 
Grand  Officers  of  France,  the  Prince  Grand  Dignitaries, 
the  Princes  and  Princesses  of  the  family.  The  empty 
carriage  of  the  Empress  drawn  by  eight  horses, 

E 


62  FROM  BRAUNAU  TO  COMPlBGNE  [On.  Ill 

between  the  chief  Equerries  of  Italy  and  her  First 
Equerry,  behind  which  rode  the  aides-de-camp. 
After  this  the  coronation  carriage  appeared  conveying 
their  Majesties  at  a  walking  pace  drawn  by  bay 
horses,  laden  with  pages  and  flanked  by  Colonels- 
General  of  the  Guard.  Various  other  carriages 
followed,  after  which  mounted  Grenadiers  completed 
the  cortege. 

From  Porte  Maillot  to  the  Tuileries  the  route  was 
lined  with  troops ;  at  one  o'clock  a  salvo  announced 
the  arrival  of  the  cortege  at  the  Arc  de  Triomphe, 
which  looked  magnificent  erected  in  canvas  and 
wood  according  to  the  plan  of  Chalgren  and  orna- 
mented with  bas-reliefs  painted  by  Lafitte.  The 
Prefet  of  the  Seine  delivered  an  address  and  led  the 
authorities  of  the  city  who  followed  on  foot.  In  the 
Champs  Elysees,  bands  were  posted  at  given  distances. 
Young  girls  of  the  Faubourg  offered  flowers.  At  the 
Pont  Tournant,  a  triumphal  arch  painted  with 
decorations  had  been  prepared  for  a  grand  orchestra 
beneath  which  the  carriages  passed.  The  people  of 
the  cortege  alighted  in  the  vestibule  of  the  Tuileries 
and  grouped  themselves  on  the  grand  staircase  or 
waited  in  the  salons  allotted  to  them. 

The  Emperor  retired  to  his  room  while  the  Court 
dress  of  the  Empress  was  being  changed  for  the 
Imperial  mantle,  after  which  the  procession  reformed 
and  moved  forward  by  way  of  the  Galerie  du  Bord 
de  1'Eau  divided  into  nine  aisles  of  varying  size  by 
arches  supported  by  columns  of  precious  marbles,  in 
the  presence  of  eight  thousand  guests,  four  thousand 


MARRIAGE   IN  THE   TUILERIES        63 

men  and  four  thousand  women.  With  great  dis- 
cretion and  taste,  the  ladies  had  been  grouped  in  such 
a  way  that  their  dresses,  seen  through  the  whole 
length  of  the  arches  to  the  end  of  the  gallery,  afforded 
a  truly  dazzling  spectacle.  The  guests  had  arrived 
at  seven  in  the  morning ;  it  was  now  three  in  the 
afternoon. 

From  this  gallery  the  Emperor  and  Empress 
passed  along  to  the  great  Salon  Carre,  which  appeared 
more  like  a  magnificent  ballroom  hung  with  silken 
draperies  than  a  chapel,  save  for  the  altar.  Four 
hundred  persons  occupied  the  galleries  round  the  hall. 
In  front  of  the  altar,  which  was  entirely  silver  gilt, 
were  placed  two  seats  and  a  Prie-Dieu  surmounted  by 
a  canopy.  Seats  were  provided  for  the  Bishops, 
Cardinals,  Senators,  State  Councillors,  and  Members 
of  the  Legislative  Body.  The  gallery  was  opened  at 
three  o'clock.  Cardinal  Fesch  advanced  to  the  door 
of  the  chapel  to  receive  their  Majesties  and  gave 
them  Holy  Water.  From  the  moment  he  entered,  the 
Emperor  scrutinised  everything,  and  observed  a 
shortage  of  Cardinals.  His  wrath  with  those  who  had 
absented  themselves  can  best  be  understood  from  his 
letter  to  Eugene  concerning  the  Cardinal- Archbishop 
of  Bologna.  '  You  will  inform  him  of  my  great 
indignation  at  the  infamous  conduct  of  one  on  whom 
I  have  heaped  benefits,  and  have  made  Cardinal- 
Archbishop  and  Senator,  whom  I  have  protected  and 
whose  notorious  debaucherie  I  have  cloaked  by  the 
intervention  of  my  authority,  thereby  interrupting 
the  course  of  criminal  justice  at  Bologna."  The 


64  FROM  BRAUNAU  TO  COMPlfiGNE  [On.  Ill 

Emperor  observed  and  summed  up  everything  in  a 
glance,  as  this  letter  shows,  written  to  the  Minister  of 
Public  Worship,  Bigot  de  Paeameneu,  in  which  he 
forbade  them  to  wear  the  insignia  of  their  office. 
"It  is  because  we  consider  them  already  suspended, 
that  we  refuse  to  allow  them  to  wear  the  ecclesiastical 
distinctions  and  costume  of  Cardinals." 

He  grew  calmer,  however,  and  the  Mass  proceeded 
with  appropriate  solemnity.  After  the  Gospel,  the 
Premier  Bishop  produced  the  Testament  for  their 
Majesties  to  kiss,  and  waved  the  censer  before  them. 
At  the  Offertorium  the  King  of  Holland  bore  the 
Regalia  of  the  Emperor,  and  the  Queen  of  Naples 
that  of  the  Empress,  who  was  accompanied  by  her 
Lady-in-waiting  and  Mistress  of  the  Robes.  A  host 
of  Bishops  were  employed  in  the  various  parts  of  the 
ceremony.  The  Te  Deum  followed  the  Mass,  after 
which  they  returned  through  the  large  gallery. 
When  the  Emperor  had  left,  the  crowd  began  to 
congregate  and  the  gallery  was  thronged  as  on  the 
days  the  Museum  opened.  Suddenly  at  the  doors  of 
the  chapel  an  usher  proclaimed,  "  The  Emperor !  " 
whereupon,  as  if  electrified,  every  one  jumped  over  the 
balustrade,  finding  a  place  where  he  could.  Instantly 
a  way  was  cleared  and  the  procession  moved  on  as 
majestically  as  before. 

It  halted  in  the  Galerie  de  Diane ;  the  Emperor, 
with  the  Empress  and  the  family,  retired  to  his 
salon.  In  her  bed-chamber  the  Empress  was  relieved 
of  the  mantle  and  the  crown,  which  were  given  back 
to  the  Grand  Chamberlain,  to  be  returned  to  Notre 


FETES  65 

Dame  with  the  same  ceremonies  as  on  the  previous 
evening.  Their  Majesties  showed  themselves  on  the 
balcony  of  the  Salle  des  Marechaux  and  witnessed  the 
march  past  of  the  Corps  de  la  Garde,  which  acclaimed 
the  Sovereigns  by  presenting  arms. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  this  concluded  the 
proceedings.  The  fetes  were  so  organised  that  there 
was  not  a  moment  for  dinner.  Regnaud  de  Saint 
Jean  d'Angely  provided  a  very  recherche  cold  dinner 
in  the  Salle  de  la  Section  de  I'lnterieur.  The  Corps 
Diplomatique  roamed  about  the  Palace  in  search  of 
a  meal.  M.  Regnaud  invited  the  Ambassador  of 
Austria.  The  dinner  was  very  gay,  very  animated. 
Great  fun  was  made  of  the  Russians  who  could  not 
find  places.  M.  de  Metternich,  happy  and  elated, 
talked  and  cracked  jokes.  A  crowd  had  collected 
beneath  the  windows.  M.  de  Metternich  went  on  to 
the  balcony  with  a  glass  of  champagne  in  his  hand, 
exclaiming  :  "  To  the  health  of  the  King  of  Rome." 
'  We  are  not  yet  good  enough  courtiers,"  remarked 
Regnaud  to  M.  de  Barante. 

At  seven  o'clock,  however,  in  the  Salle  de  Spectacle 
of  the  Tuileries  (the  stage  having  been  replaced  by  a 
decoration  similar  to  the  one  at  the  other  end  of  the 
hall),  the  Imperial  banquet  was  served.  The  Emperor 
dined  with  his  family,  of  whom  only  Joseph  and 
Lucien  were  absent,  seated  upon  a  platform  sur- 
mounted by  a  canopy.  Members  of  the  Court  were 
arranged  in  front  of  them  in  the  orchestra  and  boxes. 
The  Civic  Dignitaries  occupied  the  second  tier  of 
boxes  and  the  apartments  through  which  their 


66  FROM  BRAUNAU  TO  COMPI^GNE  [On.  Ill 

Majesties  passed  on  their  way  to  the  banquet.  By 
six  o'clock  the  Masters  of  Ceremonies  had  marshalled 
the  guests  in  the  Salon  de  la  Paix.  The  Grand 
Marechal  having  announced  everything  ready,  the 
cortege  passed  through  the  Grand  Apartments  to  the 
banqueting  hall.  Grace  was  said  by  the  Grand 
Almoners,  and  the  band,  which  was  placed  in  the  top 
tier  of  boxes,  discoursed  topical  music.  Nothing 
could  be  more  magnificent  or  more  formal. 

The  cortege  returned  to  the  Salle  des  Marechaux 
where  their  Majesties  reappeared  on  the  balcony. 
Afterwards  a  cantata  by  Arnault,  set  to  Mehul's 
music,  was  given  by  the  chorus  from  Gluck's  Iphigenie. 
Every  kind  of  music  was  heard  outside  the  Palace. 
A  rocket  sent  up  from  the  Palace  gave  the  signal  for 
a  display  of  fireworks  over  the  whole  of  the  Champs 
Elysees,  after  which  the  cortege  retired  to  the  apart- 
ment of  the  Empress.  At  a  signal  from  the  Emperor 
the  dignitaries  retired,  then  the  princes  and  princesses. 
The  Empress  entered  her  boudoir.  The  Emperor 
went  up  to  his  own  apartment  to  prepare  for  the 
night.  Considering  how  many  hours  the  Empress 
had  been  standing,  she  must  have  felt  satiated  with 
ceremonies,  even  had  she  liked  them.  It  was  thought, 
however,  she  might  like  to  inspect  the  wedding 
presents  which  had  been  placed  in  her  private  apart- 
ment. Possibly  she  might  have  preferred  the  fire- 
works !  The  Grande  Allee  of  the  Tuileries  was  one 
blaze  of  light,  hung  with  thousands  of  coloured 
lights.  Thirteen  triumphal  arches  were  similarly 
illuminated.  The  decorations  in  the  flower  garden 


IN   THE  CHAMPS  ELYSEES  67 

were  less  elaborate,  but  the  approach  to  the  Pont 
Tournant,  the  chestnut  avenues,  and  the  terraces 
were  lit  up  with  hanging  lanterns.  The  Temple  of 
Glory  was  outlined  as  it  would  appear  when  com- 
pleted. The  Temple  of  Hymen  was  simulated  on  the 
towers  of  Notre  Dame,  and  on  the  Pantheon  flared  an 
antique  tripod. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  Champs  Elysees,  the  most 
marvellous  variety  of  entertainments  began.  At  the 
Carre  des  Jeux  there  were  five  theatres  :  wrestlers  of 
Herculean  strength,  dancers  on  the  tight-rope, 
M.  Olivier's  spectacle,  the  Theatre  of  Picturesque  and 
Mechanical  Views,  the  Theatre  of  Intangible  Shadows, 
two  roundabouts,  two  switchbacks,  two  see-saws,  one 
Egyptian  bird,  two  greasy  poles,  two  games  of  the 
dragon,  six  bands  to  dance  to,  an  orchestral  concert 
with  120  musicians,  troops  of  singers  engaged  to  sing 
the  Chansons  du  Gouvernement,  a  troop  of  Savoyards 
with  their  bagpipes  ;  besides  these  Madame  Furioso 
on  the  tight-rope  with  itinerant  musicians  and  a  brass 
band.  At  the  Carre  Marigny,  the  same  wrestlers, 
tight-rope  dancers,  entertainments  by  M.  Prejean, 
M.  Lauranzo  Frederici  and  Seraphin,  besides  Pyrrhic 
fires  and  Chinese  shadows.  At  the  Carre  de  la  Pompe 
(chez  Ledoyon),  at  the  Carre  de  la  Laiterie,  they  were 
as  numerous,  but  at  the  Carre  de  PElysee  bands  for 
quadrilles  and  roundabouts  predominated.  Among 
all  this  variety  something  new  might  be  found  here  to 
interest  each  stranger. 

Of  all  these  fleeting  wonders,  what  has  survived  ? 
In  front  of  the  fa?ade  of  the  Corps  Legislatif  we  may 


68  FROM  BRAUNAU  TO  COMPIEGNE  [On.  Ill 

see  the  six  statues  that  were  unveiled  on  the  occasion 
of  the  Emperor's  marriage ;  those  of  d'Aguesseau, 
Colbert,  1'Hopital,  Sully,  and  last  but  not  least  Themis 
and  Minerva,  which  latter  amid  the  adornments  of 
modern  Paris  alone  recalls  the  past. 

Next  day,  April  3,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
the  Mounted  Heralds  distributed  the  Marriage  Medals 
(similar  in  size  to  the  Coronation  Medals)  among  the 
populace,  20,000  of  which  were  silver,  500  gold. 
At  the  Coronation  there  had  been  four  sizes  :  1390  in 
gold,  74,450  in  silver  ;  the  distribution  had  dwindled. 

Official  France  was  presented  to  the  Emperor 
by  the  Grand  Chamberlain  and  to  the  Empress  by 
her  Lady-in-waiting.  This  presentation  comprised 
Ministers,  Cardinals,  Grand  Officers  of  the  Empire, 
Grands  Aigles,  Court  of  the  Audit  Office,  Council  of 
the  University,  Officers  of  the  Household  of  the 
Princes  and  Princesses,  Generals  of  Divisions,  Court 
of  Appeal,  Archbishops,  Prefets,  Clergy  of  Paris, 
Court  of  Criminal  Justice,  Brigadier-Generals,  Bishops, 
Authorities  of  Paris,  City  Mayors,  in  fact  thousands 
of  individuals  came  to  pay  homage,  insomuch  that 
Marie-Louise  wrote  thus  to  her  father  :  '  Yesterday 
more  than  1500  people  were  presented  to  me.  I  felt 
so  ill  all  the  time,  owing  to  the  diamond  crown  which 
was  so  heavy  I  could  hardly  bear  it ;  consequently  I 
saw  absolutely  no  one." 

Such  was  to  be  her  lot ! 


CHAPTER  IV 

JOURNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN,  APRIL  27-JTJNE   1,  1810 

AFTER  devoting  three  days  to  Paris  and  Saint-Cloud, 
the  Emperor  set  off  again  to  Compiegne,  where  he 
held  audiences,  received  congratulations  and  oaths 
of  fidelity.  Excursions,  plays,  hunting  parties, 
concerts,  receptions,  and  all  kinds  of  functions  took 
place.  "  Although  the  receptions  held  in  Paris 
were  reckoned  as  representations,  nevertheless,  after 
Sunday,  fifteen  men  with  the  same  number  of  women 
were  daily  to  be  presented  to  the  Empress,  from  among 
those  who  had  already  been  received,  as  well  as  those 
who  had  not  yet  been  presented.  During  the  twenty- 
four  hours  of  their  visit  to  Compiegne  these  persons 
would  be  duly  accredited  and  would  enjoy  all  pre- 
rogatives." Accordingly,  thirty  a  day  of  these  new 
people  were  to  be  received  by  the  Empress  in  her 
gallery  as  she  passed  through  to  attend  the  play. 

The  plays  were  usually  performed  by  the  Comedie 
Franyaise,  e.g.  Le  Cid,  Phedre,  Andromaque,  Britan- 
nicus,  Le  Misanthrope,  Tartufe,  also  La  Gageure, 
Imprevue,  La  Jeunesse  de  Henri  V.,  Le  Secret  du 
Menage,  Les  Projets  de  Mariage.  The  selection  of 
Britannicus  appears  injudicious,  for  how  could  so 
clever  a  man  as  the  husband  of  Madame  de  Kemusat 

69 


70      JOUENEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN      [On.  IV 

have  chosen  a  play  entirely  concerned  with  divorce, 
having  a  dialogue  full  of  the  grossest  innuendoes  ? 

At  length  this  journey  came  to  an  end,  having 
necessitated  the  presence  of  sixty-seven  persons, 
besides  fifteen  ladies  in  the  suite  of  the  Queens  and 
Princesses,  to  whom,  by  a  decree  of  April  19,  the 
Emperor  had  granted  prerogatives  du  voyage  ;  besides 
all  those  who  came  from  Paris  to  be  presented  or  do 
homage. 

The  Emperor  passed  his  days  and  nights  with  the 
Empress.  Even  the  most  urgent  business  could 
hardly  separate  him  from  her  for  a  few  moments. 
He  would  convene  a  Council  and  arrive  two  hours 
after  it  had  assembled.  He  almost  suppressed  private 
audiences.  Every  one,  except  Marie-Louise,  wondered 
if  this  mode  of  living  could  continue.  He  treated  her 
to  his  favourite  habit  of  slapping !  He  would  pinch 
her  neck  or  her  cheeks  ;  if  she  showed  annoyance  he 
took  her  in  his  arms,  embraced  her  and  called  her 
grosse  bete,  on  which  term  of  endearment  they  made 
peace  !  Marie-Louise,  however,  thought  his  manners 
a  little  vulgar. 

At  the  close  of  the  visit  to  Compiegne  on  April  26, 
their  Majesties  set  out  for  Belgium.  They  were 
accompanied  by  a  numerous  suite  which  was  divided 
into  three  parties — one  started  twelve  hours  before 
their  Majesties,  one  accompanied  them,  and  one 
followed  later.  Seeing  that  the  first  comprised  twelve 
coaches,  seventy-two  carriage  horses  and  four  hacks, 
the  second  ten  coaches,  sixty-two  carriage  horses,  and 
ten  hacks,  and  the  third  eleven  coaches,  sixty-five 


THE  EMPRESS'S  IMPRESSIONS         71 

carriage  horses  and  four  hacks,  we  may  picture  the 
commotion  caused  by  such  a  procession,  and  the 
general  dislocation  of  traffic  which  must  have  resulted. 
The  military  escort  consisted  of  200  mounted 
Chasseurs,  200  Polish  Light  Horse,  80  mounted 
Grenadiers,  30  picked  Gendarmes,  140  Marines  of  the 
Guard.  Duroc  arranged  everything  beforehand,  even 
to  the  itinerary  and  the  various  stopping-places.  We 
shall  see  that  the  accommodation  was  frequently 
indifferent,  causing  the  Empress  to  complain,  but 
nothing  better  was  available.  The  impression  France 
made  upon  Marie-Louise  in  this  first  journey  is  of 
fundamental  importance.  The  Empress  apparently 
was  inclined  to  ridicule  and  could  criticise  people,  at 
any  rate  those  whom  she  disliked.  Those  she  liked 
were  very  few,  consequently  with  the  exception  of 
the  Duchesse  de  Montebello  scarcely  any  one  escaped 
her  criticisms.  But  here  is  her  own  account  of  the 
journey. 

"  I  set  out  from  Compiegne,  delighted  with  the 
idea  of  such  a  pleasant  journey.  I  had  never  before 
travelled  without  sadness,  but  now  felt  the  under- 
taking would  be  delightful  and  am  certain  I  shall  love 
travelling  to  distraction.  The  Queen  of  Naples  and 
the  Grand  Duke  of  Wurtzburg  accompanied  us.  It 
was  a  particular  pleasure  to  have  the  latter  with  me, 
he  is  so  kind  and  vivacious. 

"  We  left  Compiegne  on  April  27  at  nine  in  the 
morning.  The  country  as  far  as  St.  Quentin  is  very 
pretty,  even  beautiful,  also  very  fertile.  All  along 
the  road  are  little  hills  covered  with  fruit  trees  now 


72      JOURNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN      [On.  IV 

in  full  bloom,  and  fields  of  the  most  fascinating  green 
intersected  by  small  streams  bordered  with  willows. 
There  are  many  hamlets  and  villages,  but  what 
struck  me  most  was  the  quantity  of  wind-mills. 

"  In  every  place  the  Emperor  was  received  by  the 
inhabitants  with  ringing  of  bells  and  firing  of  salutes, 
expressions  of  a  devotion  as  simple  as  it  was  touching. 
Everywhere  the  young  ladies  presented  us  with 
flowers  and  poems,  most  of  the  latter  were  very  poor. 

'  We  arrived  at  St.  Quentin  at  midday  and  were 
lodged  in  the  Prefecture  where  everything  was  un- 
comfortable and  dirty,  and  what  was  worse  was  the 
fact  that  I  was  a  quarter  of  a  league  away  from  the 
Emperor.  He  took  luncheon  at  once  and  rode  off  to 
visit  the  fortifications  and  the  source  of  the  St.  Quentin 
canal,  which  had  just  been  finished  from  a  plan 
provided  by  the  Emperor  himself.  I  went  to  bed 
with  lumbago,  not  yet  being  accustomed  to  continuous 
travelling  over  paved  roads. 

'  The  Emperor  made  me  get  up  at  four  o'clock  to 
visit  a  cotton-mill  belonging  to  the  prefect,  which  is 
remarkable,  the  machines  are  wonderful  inventions. 

"  On  our  return  we  received  the  chief  officials. 
The  Emperor  conversed  with  them  for  over  two 
hours.  These  audiences  are  enough  to  kill  one,  for 
it  is  necessary  to  stand  all  the  time !  Afterwards 
young  ladies  presented  me  with  specimens  from  their 
factories. 

"  The  Emperor  was  much  amused  while  telling 
me  of  an  accident  which  happened  to  M.  Joan,*  who, 

*  The  Empress  writes  Joan.  She  refers  to  Jouan,  knight  of  the 
Legion  of  Honour,  March  8,  1807,  surgeon- major  attached  to  the 
Ambulance  of  the  Imperial  Household  in  the  Grand  Armde.  He  was 
in  all  the  campaigns. — F.  M. 


THE   CANAL  73 

while  galloping  without  looking  where  he  was  going, 
was  caught  on  the  branch  of  a  tree ;  the  horse  went 
on  and  after  a  few  minutes  he  fell  to  the  ground 
without  hurting  himself  in  the  least.  Malicious 
tongues  say  that  for  more  than  an  hour  he  thought 
himself  dead,  which  is  very  like  him  ! 

"  After  dinner  there  was  a  ball  at  the  town  hall 
and  a  cantata  was  sung  which  contained  the  most 
fulsome  compliments.  The  Queen  opened  the  ball 
by  dancing  a  Contredance  fran^aise  with  Chamberlain 
de  Metternich. 

"  The  town  of  St.  Quentin  has  about  12,000 
inhabitants.  It  is  very  old  and  badly  built,  but 
commercially  flourishing.  The  local  manufactures 
are  longcloth,  linen,  cambric,  leather,  and  morocco ; 
the  trade  in  cotton  brings  in  over  3  millions  annually. 

"  Next  day  we  left  St.  Quentin  at  seven  in  the 
morning,  and  after  passing  through  the  whole  of  the 
city,  which  is  not  very  large,  we  arrived  at  the  canal, 
where  we  found  two  gondolas  awaiting  us.  The  canal 
begins  at  St.  Quentin  and  terminates  at  Cambrai,  where 
it  joins  the  Scheldt.  It  is  over  22  leagues  in  length 
having  23  locks,  and  is  very  wide  and  deep.  We 
went  on  board  and  continued  our  way  beneath  a 
blazing  sun  which  gave  us  terrible  headaches.  We 
reached  the  first  tunnel  into  which  the  water  had  not 
yet  been  admitted  and  entered  carriages  in  order  to 
pass  through  it.  The  length  is  a  quarter  of  a  league, 
entirely  cut  out  of  the  rock.  The  vault  is  very  high 
and  was  illuminated  by  two  rows  of  lamps  which  made 
a  magnificent  effect.  It  is  a  masterpiece,  unique  of 
its  kind.  We  continued  our  journey  by  carriage  as 
far  as  the  entrance  to  the  second  tunnel,  where  tents 


74      JOURNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN      [On.  IV 

had  been  pitched  for  lunch,  which  we  welcomed  like 
famished  travellers.  We  went  through  this  tunnel, 
which  is  a  league  and  a  half  long,  in  a  boat  rowed  by 
men,  which  was  not  very  serviceable,  for  it  let  in  two 
inches  of  water,  which  wetted  our  feet,  but  as  there 
was  no  means  of  remedying  it,  one  had  to  bear  up 
gaily,  which  for  me  was  not  difficult  as  I  have  an  iron 
constitution  which  nothing  injures.  In  addition  we 
narrowly  escaped  capsizing  because  the  fat  Prince 
Schwarzenberg  was  continually  leaning  out  of  the 
boat  and  his  weight  threw  it  all  on  one  side.  This 
second  tunnel  was  illuminated  like  the  first,  and  at  the 
end  of  every  hundred  toises  (about  650  feet)  there  was 
a  shaft  to  let  in  daylight.  After  an  hour  and  a  half 
we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  canal  and  got  into  the 
carriages  again. 

'  We  saw  the  source  of  the  Scheldt,  that  majestic 
river,  which  40  leagues  farther  on  is  so  wide  and  deep 
that  the  largest  battleships  can  navigate  it,  but  is 
here  so  narrow  that  one  can  easily  cross  it  by  a 
standing  jump.  It  passes  twice  under  the  canal, 
which  is  carried  over  it  by  means  of  an  aqueduct ; 
the  bridge  is  so  narrow  that  we  were  obliged  to  leave 
the  carriages  which  were  then  lifted  over  by  men. 
This  affair  delayed  us  more  than  an  hour  and  put  the 
Queen  of  Naples  into  such  a  bad  temper  that  no  one 
could  speak  to  her  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  I  cannot 
understand  how  people  when  travelling  can  grumble 
and  get  impatient  over  such  trifling  accidents !  To 
me  they  were  very  insignificant  in  comparison  with 
all  I  had  had  to  put  up  with  in  other  journeys,  of 
which  I  had  never  complained. 

"  We  went  on  board  again  half  a  league  from 


CAMBEAI  75 

Cambrai,  and  at  half-past  three  entered  the  basin  at 
the  end  of  the  canal,  where  a  number  of  trading 
vessels,  laden  with  coal,  were  waiting  to  enter  the 
canal  to  carry  their  cargoes  to  Paris. 

"  On  reaching  the  H6tel  de  Ville  I  went  to  bed, 
for  the  sun  had  given  me  a  shocking  headache.  I 
was,  however,  quite  pleased  with  myself  at  not  having 
grumbled  once  during  the  journey.  Truly  the  bad 
temper  of  several  of  the  ladies  was  enough  to  preve  it 
me  from  fault  finding. 

"  Cambrai  is  a  very  ancient  city  and  indeed  was 
once  a  Roman  Colony.  In  1520  a  Treaty  of  Peace 
was  concluded  in  this  place,  when  two  princesses 
conducted  the  greater  part  of  the  negotiations,  hence 
it  became  known  as  the  Ladies'  Treaty.  Xinrlo  (sic) 
(Fenelon)  is  buried  in  this  town,  and  I  felt  very 
indignant  to  notice  that  he,  who  so  well  deserved  a 
fine  mausoleum  erected  out  of  gratitude  by  his 
diocesans,  was  interred  in  a  wooden  coffin ;  while 
others,  whose  chief  merit  was  the  fact  that  they  were 
wealthy  enough  to  found  churches,  had  magnificent 
monuments. 

"  Cambrai  has  30,000  to  40,000  inhabitants  and 
manufactures  the  same  articles  of  commerce  as 
St.  Quentin.  There  are  also  many  soap  factories. 

"  I  got  up  at  seven  o'clock  to  see  the  procession  of 
waggons  in  the  square,  on  which,  amid  a  vast  con- 
course of  people,  sat  some  200  young  girls  dressed  in 
white,  who  are  clothed  and  fed  by  the  ladies  of  the 
town. 

"  After  dinner,  which  was  at  eight  o'clock,  we 
received  the  local  authorities  and  the  young  ladies 
who  brought  me  cambric  and  lace.  At  ten  o'clock 


76      JOUENEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN      [On.  IV 

there  was  a  superb  display  of  fireworks,  after  which 
the  ladies  and  the  young  girls  of  Cambrai  were 
presented  to  me. 

"  I  know  nothing  more  embarrassing  for  any  one 
so  timid  and  awkward  as  myself  than  to  receive  daily 
some  sixty  ladies  who  are  absolute  strangers  to  me, 
but  with  whom,  nevertheless,  I  am  obliged  to  converse. 
An  attack  of  vertigo  relieved  me  this  time  from  a 
situation  in  which  I  usually  say  many  foolish  things. 

:<  The  Queen  of  Naples  left  us  here  and  with  her 
Chr.  de  Metternich,  so  much  the  better.  I  do  not 
regret  them,  but  it  was  very  ungallant  of  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Wiszburg  (Wurtzbourg)  to  desert  us  to 
follow  the  Queen  of  Naples.  It  is  only  too  true  that 
when  love  and  friendship  are  in  the  balance,  poor 
tranquil  friendship  has  to  go  to  the  wall ! 

"  On  the  29th  the  Bishop  said  Mass  for  us  at 
eight  o'clock,  and  we  left  at  nine.  The  country 
round  Cambray  and  for  some  leagues  beyond  it,  is 
flat  and  not  as  fine  as  that  from  Compiegne  to  Saint- 
Quentin. 

"  We  passed  through  Bouchain,  a  small  fortified 
town  built  by  Pepin  the  Short,  in  memory  of  his 
victory  over  Thierry  King  of  the  Goths.  Denain  is 
three  leagues  farther  on,  where  the  Marechal  de 
Villars  gained  a  victory  over  the  troops  of  Prince 
Eugene.  Louis  XIV.  erected  an  obelisk  inscribed 
with  two  verses  of  the  Henriade  to  commemorate  this 
event. 

"  We  reached  Valenciennes  at  eleven  o'clock,  a 
pretty  little  town  with  20,000  inhabitants.  It  is 
situated  in  a  very  pleasant  valley,  and  its  fortifications, 
which  are  still  in  excellent  preservation,  were  con- 


VALENCIENNES— MONS  77 

structed  by  Vauban.  The  city  is  rather  dirty,  but 
does  a  flourishing  trade  in  a  kind  of  lace  which  is 
much  in  request  and  gives  occupation  to  many  women 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  town.  Here  the  Duchesse 
de  Montebello  passed  her  girlhood.  She  said  it 
pleased  her  to  see  again  the  places  in  which  she  had 
spent  the  happiest  period  of  her  life ;  but  was  much 
annoyed  at  being  invited  to  lunch  by  the  Emperor, 
for  it  prevented  her  visiting  her  grandmother  whom 
she  had  not  seen  for  fifteen  years. 

"  After  lunch  the  Emperor  received  the  authorities 
and  I  the  young  ladies,  who  brought  me  lace. 

'  We  stopped  a  short  time  at  Mons  to  see  the 
beginning  of  a  canal  which  is  to  serve  between  that 
town  and  Paris.  There  was  at  one  time  a  Chapter 
of  Canonesses  here.  There  is  much  coal-mining  on 
the  outskirts  of  this  town,  and  the  dust  on  the  main 
road  is  so  black  that  one's  complexion  becomes  like 
that  of  a  chimney-sweep. 

"  After  an  hour's  journey  the  country  from  Mons 
to  Brussels  becomes  very  flat,  resembling  a  beautiful 
English  park,  and  continually  increases  in  beauty  and 
variety  as  one  approaches  Brussels,  which  is  situated 
in  a  delightful  valley  watered  by  the  Senne.  The 
valleys  around  are  bordered  by  low  hills  clothed  with 
forests  or  fruit  trees. 

"  It  was  evening  when  we  reached  Brussels.  It 
appeared  to  be  an  exceedingly  fine  town,  but  I  could 
not  judge  of  it  very  well  for  we  passed  through  it 
hurriedly.  The  scenery  is  still  more  beautiful  be- 
tween Brussels  and  Laeken.  The  Brussels  canal 
lies  between  avenues  of  magnificent  trees  behind 
which  are  country  houses  with  charming  gardens. 


78      JOURNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN      [On.  IV 

"  At  the  end  of  an  hour  we  climbed  a  steep  hill 
and  arrived  at  Laeken,  which  is  rather  a  handsome 
palace  bought  by  the  Emperor  from  the  Duke  of 
Saxe-Teschen. 

"  On  our  arrival  the  Emperor  went  at  once  to  see 
the  castle.  There  are  two  very  fine  suites  of  apart- 
ments on  the  ground  floor,  which  is  raised  by  a  dozen 
steps  above  the  garden.  There  are  also  a  number  of 
rooms  between  the  ground  floor  and  the  first  story 
and  on  the  first  floor  itself. 

"  My  first  consideration  was  to  take  a  bath  to  rid 
myself  of  the  horrible  black  dust.  I  do  not  know  if 
the  bath  upset  me  because  I  got  into  it  while  still 
very  hot,  but  I  was  seized  with  frightful  cramp  in  the 
stomach,  with  colic.  The  Emperor  must  needs  send 
for  Monsieur  Jouan,  who,  after  many  florid  and 
pompous  phrases,  informed  the  Emperor  that  I  was 
going  to  have  a  child  and  should  have  a  miscarriage 
if  I  continued  my  journey.  The  Emperor  believed  him, 
which  annoyed  me  so  much  that  I  suffered  still  more. 

''  To  revenge  myself  on  M.  Jouan  I  pretended  to 
be  very  ill.  He  hurried  in,  felt  my  pulse,  which  he 
declared  he  could  not  find,  so  rubbed  my  nose  with 
vinegar.  After  five  minutes  I  pretended  to  return 
to  consciousness,  for  he  was  by  this  time  talking  of 
bleeding  me.  This  little  incident  left  me  with  a  very 
strange  opinion  of  him,  for  only  ignorance  or  the  wiles 
of  a  clever  courtier  could  have  made  him  act  as  he 
did.  I  prefer  to  think  it  was  the  former.  I  should 
despise  him  too  much  if  it  were  the  latter.  It  is, 
however,  true  that  we  are  living  in  such  charming 
surroundings  that  I  must  accustom  myself  to  them. 
I  fear,  nevertheless,  that  this  will  be  difficult ! 


VILVOEDE  79 

'  The  next  day,  30th,  the  Emperor,  instead  of 
letting  me  rest,  awakened  me  at  seven  in  the  morning 
to  see  the  garden.  Fortunately,  in  his  sleep  he  had 
forgotten  M.  Jouan's  portentous  phrases,  so  there 
was  no  further  question  of  leaving  me  at  Brussels. 

"  The  garden  is  tolerably  large  and  charming,  it 
is  planted  in  the  English  fashion,  there  are  several 
buildings  and  some  well-arranged  vistas.  After  lunch, 
as  soon  as  the  Emperor  had  received  the  deputations, 
we  set  off  across  the  garden,  at  the  end  of  which  is 
the  canal  on  which  we  were  to  embark. 

"  Here  we  were  rejoined  by  the  Viceroy  and  the 
King  and  Queen  of  Westphalia,  who  had  arrived 
from  Paris  to  accompany  us  on  the  journey. 

"  Nothing  more  beautiful  can  be  imagined  than 
the  banks  of  this  canal,  and  now  was  the  right  moment 
to  see  it,  as  all  the  fruit  trees  were  in  blossom.  There 
are  many  country  houses  along  the  left  bank. 

!<  The  villages  are  quite  Dutch.  No  French  is 
spoken,  and  the  dialect  of  the  country  is  a  corrupt 
German  called  '  Platt-deutsch.'  At  a  quarter  of  a 
league  from  the  castle  of  Schonenberg,  one  arm  of 
the  Senne  passes  under  the  canal  to  rejoin  the  other, 
from  which  it  had  been  separated  ;  the  construction, 
by  means  of  which  this  passage  is  effected  without 
danger  to  the  canal  itself,  is  called  les  trois  Irons.  It 
is  said  to  be  an  admirable  piece  of  work. 

'*  We  went  through  four  locks,  at  each  of  which 
we  were  delayed  at  least  five  and  twenty  minutes. 
There  is  really  nothing  more  tiresome  than  a  canal 
voyage.  It  takes  over  an  hour  to  travel  one  league  ! 

"  Near  Vilvorde  is  the  House  of  Correction,  an 
immense  building  intended  to  accommodate  the 


80      JOUENEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN      [On.  IV 

beggars  from  the  large  towns.  Such  an  institution 
might  well  be  established  in  every  country  of  Europe. 

"  Before  entering  the  lock  which  is  close  to 
Malines  (Mechlin),  the  high  road  crosses  the  canal  by 
a  bridge.  Malines  (Mechlin)  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
canal  is  quite  a  handsome  city.  The  Cathedral  is 
very  fine  and  has  a  spire  three  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  feet  high.  There  are  a  good  many  industries 
in  this  town,  of  which  the  most  important  are  tanning 
and  hat-making  ;  but  Mechlin  is  most  famous  for  its 
lace,  which  is  in  great  demand  and  made  in  various 
qualities. 

'  The  Archbishop  was  at  the  door  of  the  Cathedral 
with  his  clergy.  I  think  he  is  rather  like  Tartufe  ! 

"  Here  we  began  to  see  many  trading  vessels 
large  enough  to  undertake  a  voyage  to  the  Indies. 

"  Never  have  I  been  so  much  entertained  as 
during  this  day,  when  everything  was  a  novelty  to 
me.  I  had  never  seen  any  ships,  so  it  was  impossible 
to  make  either  the  Queen  of  Westphalia  or  myself 
take  any  part  in  the  conversation.  We  could  already 
hear  the  dull  boom  of  the  cannon  from  afar,  not  unlike 
the  noise  of  thunder,  and  saw  in  the  distance  a  great 
many  masts  which  were  still  so  far  off  they  appeared 
like  steeple  spires. 

"  Finally,  at  four  o'clock,  two  hours  after  the  turn 
of  the  tide,  we  entered  the  Rupel.  A  lock  closes  the 
entrance  to  it.  On  the  wharf  we  found  Admiral 
Missiessy,  the  Minister  of  Marine,  and  all  the  other 
chief  officers,  who  conducted  us  by  a  detestable  road 
to  a  pretty  little  gondola  in  which  we  embarked  upon 
the  Kupel,  which  flows  into  the  Scheldt,  a  league 
farther  on,  where  we  saw  about  25  gunboats  which 


THE   FRENCH  FLEET  81 

are  made  smaller  than  a  sloop  of  war.  They  were 
not  in  commission  on  account  of  the  ice,  which  had 
been  very  thick  this  year. 

"  After  an  hour  we  entered  the  Scheldt,  which  is 
very  broad  at  this  spot.  The  weather  was  magnificent. 
The  sun  was  setting  and  there  was  a  dead  calm,  but  I 
would  gladly  have  exchanged  it  for  a  storm,  which  I 
long  to  experience.  Round  a  bend  in  the  river,  we 
saw  the  fine  spectacle  of  seven  battleships  which  were 
not  all  in  commission. 

"  Really  there  is  nothing  so  grand  as  one  of  these 
vessels !  A  man-of-war  is  48  ft.  wide,  23  ft.  high 
above  the  water  and  19  ft.  below.  Some  have  60  to 
120  guns.  The  masts  are  taller  than  a  three-storied 
house  and  carry  a  quantity  of  sails  and  rigging.  A 
small  gangway  leads  down  to  the  captain's  room,  the 
council-chamber,  and  several  other  quite  pretty 
cabins.  Still  farther  down  one  comes  to  the  place 
where  the  sailors  sleep,  where  also  the  guns  are 
carried.  The  hospital  and  galleys  for  provisions  and 
munitions  are  below  the  water-level.  Lower  still 
one  comes  to  the  magazine  in  which  the  powder  is 
kept. 

'  When  the  vessel  is  in  commission  there  are 
sometimes  as  many  as  500  sailors,  some  of  them 
being  right  up  the  mast  head. 

'  We  were  saluted  by  a  thousand  guns,  the  report 
of  which  half  deafened  us,  myself  in  particular,  for 
since  the  occasion  on  which  my  father  made  me  fire 
off  an  over-loaded  cannon,  any  loud  noise  now  makes 
my  ear  bleed. 

'  We  climbed  on  board  the  Charlemagne,  but  it 
required  courage  to  accomplish  this.  The  gangway 


82     JOUKNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN      [On.  IV 

was  like  a  ladder  with  the  steps  so  far  apart  that  we 
had  to  clamber  up  on  our  knees.  There  was  wind 
enough,  moreover,  to  cause  very  embarrassing 
accidents.  I  am  certain  we  exhibited  our  legs  to  the 
gentlemen,  and  I  vowed  never  to  climb  on  to  a  battle- 
ship again  without  putting  on  trousers  !  The  Minister 
of  Marine  might  really  have  been  gallant  enough  to 
have  had  a  better  stairway  constructed  for  us,  but 
one  sees  in  everything  that  he  is  but  a  rough  sailor. 
We  were  saluted  by  cheers  repeated  three  times. 

"  One  needs  to  be  very  agile  in  boarding  a  battle- 
ship for  the  first  time,  to  avoid  laming  oneself.  I 
know  I  returned  to  Antwerp  with  a  sprain,  two 
lumps  on  my  head,  and  a  gown  covered  with  tar. 

'''  The  Scheldt  here  is  half  a  league  wide.  I  had 
been  told  a  great  deal  about  the  disagreeable  move- 
ment I  should  experience,  but  to  me  when  the 
weather  is  calm  there  is  no  difference  between  the  sea 
and  a  river. 

"  Both  banks  of  the  Scheldt  are  lovely,  there  are 
many  country  houses  and  charming  gardens.  The 
setting  sun  added  to  the  beauty  of  the  landscape. 

"  On  rounding  a  little  point  we  came  upon 
Antwerp.  Several  frigates,  four  men-of-war,  and  a 
vast  number  of  gunboats  were  lying  in  the  harbour 
of  this  fine  city. 

"  The  last  rays  of  the  sun  were  gilding  the  spires 
of  the  city  and  produced  a  marvellous  effect  over  the 
Scheldt.  * 

'  We  disembarked  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  midst 
of  an  immense  crowd  and  continued  our  journey  in  a 
carriage  to  the  house  of  the  Prefet,  where  we  were 
indifferently  lodged. 


ON  BOARD   SHIP  83 

"  My  room  looked  on  one  side  upon  a  little  garden, 
on  another  upon  the  court,  and  on  the  third  upon  a  little 
narrow  and  dark  street  from  which  rose  such  terrible 
exhalations  that  I  was  not  able  to  open  the  windows 
during  the  whole  of  my  stay.  We  dined  and  then 
went  to  bed. 

"  On  the  1st  of  May  the  weather  was  magnificent. 
The  Emperor  went  out  at  break  of  day  to  see  the 
fortifications  and  arranged  to  meet  us  for  breakfast 
at  the  Prefecture  Maritime,  which  is  a  very  fine 
house.  The  Emperor  made  us  go  there  at  eight 
o'clock ;  at  one  he  had  not  arrived.  What  tedium 
and  impatience  we  felt  while  waiting  for  him  may 
readily  be  imagined ! 

"  At  last  we  embarked  at  two  o'clock  to  go  on 
board  the  Anversois.  Happily  this  time  the  gang- 
way was  a  little  better. 

'  The  Emperor  drilled  the  crew,  and  dismantled 
(fit  demonter)  the  ship,  while  the  King  of  West- 
phalia amused  himself  by  climbing  up  all  the  masts. 
The  Emperor  also  put  a  Dutch  frigate  under  sail ; 
after  that  he  went  on  board  the  Dalmate  and  the 
frigate,  but  I  had  too  vivid  a  recollection  of  my  two 
bruises  of  the  previous  evening  to  have  any  desire 
to  accompany  him,  so  I  waited  for  him  on  the 
Anversois.  As  on  the  previous  evening,  we  were 
saluted  by  a  thousand  camion.  We  passed  in  front 
of  the  Pulstuck,  but  as  she  was  not  in  commission, 
the  Emperor  did  not  board  her. 

"  On  returning  home  I  found  two  rooms  on  fire. 
They  say  this  is  a  sign  of  good  luck.  I  could  have 
done  very  well  without  this  sign,  for  we  had  a  terrible 
smoke  all  day.  In  the  evening  the  Emperor  received 


84      JOURNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN      [On.  IV 

the  authorities  and  ladies  of  the  town,  and  on  the 
following  day  inspected  the  rest  of  the  fortifications, 
returning  for  lunch. 

"  I  was  again  annoyed  with  that  tiresome  M.  Jouan, 
who  urged  the  Emperor  not  to  take  me  to  the  Island 
of  Walcheren,  also  with  the  Emperor  for  listening  to 
him.  Doctors  are  real  ignoramuses,  they  do  not 
know  that  far  more  harm  is  done  to  their  patients, 
even  when  they  are  ill,  by  thwarting  them  than  by 
letting  them  do  as  they  wish  ;  but  I  can  be  obstinate 
when  I  want  anything,  and  we  shall  see  which  of  us 
will  prevail ! 

"  The  Emperor  took  me  to  the  dockyard  to  see 
the  Friedland  of  84  launched.  The  dock  is  where  the 
ships  are  built.  In  that  of  Antwerp  several  ships 
and  frigates  can  be  constructed  at  the  same  time. 
Their  hulls  are  placed  in  wooden  scaffoldings  in  which 
they  stay  until  they  are  quite  complete.  There  were 
nine  here  at  this  time.  It  takes  nearly  a  year  to 
construct  a  vessel,  and  usually  costs  two  millions. 

"  When  we  had  reached  an  amphitheatre  that 
had  been  prepared  expressly  for  the  ceremony,  the 
Archbishop  of  Malines  advanced  to  bless  the  ship,  all 
the  scaffolding  having  been  removed.  At  a  given 
signal  the  last  ropes  were  cut,  and  I  was  so  terrified 
lest  some  one  should  be  crushed  that  I  hurriedly  shut 
my  eyes  just  at  the  moment  when  it  shot  into  the 
water.  I  heard  nothing  but  a  violent  noise.  They 
told  me  the  spectacle  was  magnificent ;  I  pity  the 
people  who  were  obliged  to  sustain  this  shock,  by 
which  the  Scheldt  became  very  much  stirred  up. 

"  The  Emperor  made  another  tour  in  the  district 
and  I  took  a  drive  with  the  Queen  of  Westphalia 


ANTWERP  85 

upon  the  ramparts  and  about  the  town.  They  say 
that  in  another  year  Antwerp  will  be  one  of  the 
strongest  places  of  the  Empire.  There  are  some 
tolerably  fine  streets  in  the  town,  which  contains 
60,000  inhabitants,  also  some  fine  mansions,  and  the 
churches  are  said  to  be  very  beautiful,  but  I  did  not 
go  over  any  of  them. 

!(  The  Parish  Church  contains  the  tomb  of  Rubens, 
and  a  historical  picture  in  which  he  painted  himself 
with  his  father  and  his  wives. 

'''  The  tower  of  the  Cathedral  is  as  high  and  as 
beautiful  as  that  of  Strasbourg.  The  view  from  it  is 
said  to  be  superb.  I  should  very  much  have  liked  to 
climb  it,  but  when  travelling  with  the  Emperor  it  is 
very  difficult  to  amuse  and  instruct  oneself,  as  it  is 
impossible  to  do  as  one  likes. 

'  The  Town  Hall  is  a  splendid  edifice.  The  dock- 
yard, where  the  timber  for  shipbuilding  is  kept,  is 
immense.  The  two  docks  are  magnificent.  The 
Emperor  had  one  of  these  constructed.  The  largest 
can  berth  forty-two  ships  of  the  line.  It  has  just  been 
finished  except  for  two  locks  which  have  still  to  be 
constructed  at  the  farther  end  to  the  Scheldt.  These 
locks  are  designed  to  admit  vessels  into  two  small 
adjacent  harbours,  where  they  will  be  sheathed  with 
copper,  after  they  are  berthed  in  the  dry  dock  by 
opening  the  sluices  at  low  tide. 

"  The  other  dock  is  upon  the  river ;  it  will  give 
anchorage  to  fourteen  ships  of  the  line  and  com- 
municates with  the  first  dock  by  a  very  large  lock. 

'  When  peace  is  made  with  England,  Antwerp 
will  be  one  of  the  richest  and  most  important  com- 
mercial towns  of  the  Empire.  In  the  meantime  it 


86      JOURNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN      [On.  IV 

has  already  a  considerable  trade.  There  are  many 
very  wealthy  merchants,  some  of  whom  have  magnifi- 
cent collections  of  pictures.  Mr.  Van  Haveren 
possesses,  among  others,  the  famous  Chapeau  de 
Faille  of  Rubens. 

:<  There  are  many  charming  country  houses  round 
Antwerp,  but  I  should  dislike  to  live  in  this  town 
owing  to  the  unhealthy  climate.  The  neighbourhood 
is  very  marshy  and  nasty  smells  come  from  the 
Scheldt,  consequently  three-quarters  of  the  inhabitants 
have  fever  every  year. 

"  On  the  3rd  the  Emperor  went  to  visit  the 
arsenal,  the  docks,  and  the  magazines,  but  I  stayed 
at  home  to  be  wearied  by  my  ladies.  I  am  much  too 
undisciplined  to  spend  a  whole  day  in  their  company, 
and  am  only  happy  with  the  Duchesse  de  Montebello, 
who  is  natural  and  good,  whereas  the  others  are 
ill-natured  and  pretentious. 

"  In  the  evening  we  saw  all  the  ladies  of  the  town. 

"  On  the  4fch,  the  Emperor  went  again  to  inspect 
a  ship.  I  remained  at  home  as  my  foot  hurt  me  too 
much  to  walk.  In  the  evening  there  was  a  ball,  but 
being  lame  I  had  a  good  reason  for  not  dancing. 
Besides,  my  doctors  are  so  obliging,  they  provide  me 
with  an  excuse  whenever  I  want  one  ! 

"  It  was  very  stormy  all  day,  and  hopes  of  being 
able  to  start  on  the  next  were  given  up  as  the  wind 
was  contrary,  and  as  we  should  have  to  cross  an  arm 
of  the  sea  in  order  to  reach  Flushing,  we  were 
compelled  to  wait  with  patience. 

"  On  the  5th,  the  weather  was  still  very  bad  and 
the  storm  violent.  The  Emperor,  who  was  tired  of 
waiting,  suddenly  decided  in  the  evening  to  go  by 


DUTCH   VILLAGES  87 

land  and  start  the  next  morning  at  five  o'clock  with  as 
few  people  as  possible,  just  clothes  for  two  days  and 
two  sets  of  attendants. 

"It  was  decided  that  only  the  King  and  Queen  of 
Westphalia,  the  Viceroy,  the  Prince  de  Neuchatel, 
the  Grand  Marechal  Due  d'Istrie,  the  Duchesse  de 
Montebello,  MM.  de  Beauharnais,  de  St.  Aignan, 
de  Bondy,  and  de  Montaran,  should  accompany  us, 
while  the  rest  were  to  wait  for  us  at  Antwerp. 
Accordingly,  we  left  Antwerp  on  the  6th,  three  hours 
later  than  the  Emperor  had  arranged  (for  with  him 
that  always  happens). 

'  The  beginning  of  the  journey  for  a  league  or  so 
was  quite  pleasant,  as  we  passed  by  a  number  of 
country  seats,  but  at  the  end  of  an  hour  all  the  beauty 
had  disappeared,  and  we  found  ourselves  in  a  desert 
of  sand,  where  there  was  not  a  blade  of  grass,  and 
where  one  saw  here  and  there  a  few  stunted  fir  trees, 
of  which  the  largest  were  no  bigger  than  the  smallest 
in  a  certain  black  forest  that  I  came  to  know  after- 
wards !  This  district  formerly  belonged  to  Holland. 

"  It  was  only  after  an  interval  of  two  or  three 
hours  that  we  came  upon  a  little  village,  these  villages 
are  really  charming.  I  think  they  are  rather  like  the 
description  of  the  oases  in  the  great  desert.  Dutch 
farmers  are  noted  for  their  extreme  cleanliness,  which 
extends  even  to  their  houses,  which  are  very  large 
and  have  great  square  paving- tiles ;  most  of  the  houses 
are  built  of  brick.  They  are  enclosed  with  fences 
and  trees  are  planted  in  front  of  them.  Each  has 
its  vegetable  garden  and  orchard,  and  magnificent 
cows  graze  in  the  meadows.  I  have  never  seen  such 
fine  cattle  as  in  Holland.  They  are  unlike  other  cows 


88      JOURNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN      [On.  IV 

on  account  of  their  size  and  colouring,  which  is  white 
with  black  or  brown  spots. 

"  The  road  became  worse  every  moment.  The 
sand  was  so  deep  that  it  was  necessary  to  harness  12 
or  16  horses  to  each  carriage,  notwithstanding  that 
we  only  went  at  a  walking  pace  ! 

"  The  horses  are  so  badly  harnessed  in  this  country 
that  it  is  impossible  to  hurry  them ;  instead  of  bits, 
cords  are  put  in  their  mouths,  and  the  traces  are  so 
thin  that  they  come  to  pieces  every  moment.  As 
the  horses  of  the  peasants  are  requisitioned,  each  man 
wants  to  drive  his  own  steed,  there  are  therefore 
sometimes  as  many  postilions  as  horses.  I  have 
counted  at  least  a  dozen.  If  we  wish  to  go  faster  they 
bewail  the  hard  fate  of  their  animals,  and  if  pressure 
is  brought  to  bear  in  order  to  hurry  them,  they 
unyoke  the  horses  and  take  them  away,  leaving  one 
stranded  in  the  middle  of  the  sands.  This  happened 
to  several  carriages  in  our  retinue. 

"  The  hour  for  lunch  had  long  passed ;  it  was  nearly 
two  o'clock,  and  the  Emperor  would  never  allow  me 
to  eat  in  a  carriage.  He  had  a  fine  reason  for  this, 
which  was  that  a  woman  ought  never  to  want  to  eat. 
These  precious  arguments  added  to  the  pangs  of 
hunger  made  me  so  angry  that  I  had  a  terrible  head- 
ache, consequently  when  we  arrived  at  Breda  at  four 
o'clock,  I  thought  I  should  be  obliged  to  stay  there  ; 
however,  the  Emperor,  who  treated  us  like  grenadiers, 
forced  us  to  continue  our  journey  after  his  lunch  ! 

'  We  took  our  meal  in  a  wretched  chateau  which 
formerly  belonged  to  the  Prince  of  Orange. 

"  Breda  is  a  small  and  rather  pretty  town  of  from 
7000  to  8000  inhabitants  with  excellent  fortifications. 


BREDA— BOIS-LE-DUC  89 

"  After  the  Emperor  had  received  the  local 
officials  we  resumed  our  journey.  I  was  in  such  a 
bad  temper  that  the  Emperor  was  displeased,  but 
feeling  quite  indifferent  I  let  him  scold  as  much  as 
he  liked  without  answering  him. 

'''  There  is  nothing  which  quiets  men  so  soon  as 
this  method.  They  are  insufferable  beings,  and  should 
I  ever  come  back  in  another  world,  I  would  certainly 
not  make  a  second  marriage  ! 

"  The  road  was  still  very  monotonous  and  the 
weather  dreadful.  The  wind  blew  horribly,  and  the 
rain  was  so  heavy  that  we  were  inundated.  The 
Emperor,  however,  contrary  to  his  usual  practice, 
found  the  atmosphere  stifling,  so  opened  all  the 
windows  for  the  pleasure  of  opposing  my  wishes. 

"  At  eight  o'clock  the  Marechal  Due  de  Reggio 
with  several  generals  came  to  our  carriage  and 
assured  us  that  we  were  only  an  hour's  journey  from 
Bois-le-Duc.  However,  we  did  not  arrive  there  until 
midnight. 

"  Fortunately  my  waiting-maid  was  there,  for  I 
felt  so  ill  and  fatigued  that  I  went  to  bed  directly 
without  eating.  I  had  dreadful  pains  in  the  stomach 
with  fever ;  added  to  this,  there  was  so  much  noise 
in  the  courtyard  that  it  was  impossible  to  sleep. 
Having  sent  for  M.  Bourdier,  the  consoling  news  was 
brought  me  that  he  had  been  left  behind  at  Breda  ! 

"  Finally,  at  one  o'clock,  I  heard  my  door  open 
(for  it  had  neither  bolt  nor  key),  and  some  one  enter 
the  room  very  softly.  It  was  the  Prince  de  Neu- 
chatel,  who  (imagining  himself  in  the  Emperor's 
room)  on  seeing  me  was  very  embarrassed. 

"  At  last,  at  two  o'clock,  M.  Jouan  arrived,  half 


90      JOURNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN     [Cn.  IV 

dead,  and  covered  from  head  to  foot  with  clay,  for  he 
had  fallen  into  a  hole.  I  begged  him  to  give  me  some 
antipyrin  hetera.*  He  went  to  fetch  the  little 
medicine  chest,  but  finding  all  the  bottles  broken,  I 
had  to  resign  myself,  and  wait  until  I  should  recover 
without  medicine. 

"  At  three  o'clock  the  Duchesse  de  Montebello 
arrived ;  her  carriage  had  stuck  for  four  hours  in 
the  sand  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  M.  de  St.  Aignan 
and  Prince  Aldobrandini.  When  these  gentlemen 
saw  that  they  could  not  extricate  the  carriage,  they 
unyoked  the  horses,  and  using  a  bag  of  oats  for  a 
saddle,  went  to  seek  help  at  Bois-le-Duc,  while  M.  de 
Beauharnais,  instead  of  assisting  them,  remained  in 
the  carriage  grumbling  because  he  could  not  get  on. 
The  Due  de  Bassano  lost  patience  because  his  coach- 
man would  not  proceed,  and  got  out  of  his  carriage, 
prepared  to  chastise  the  poor  wretch  severely,  but 
Heaven  punished  him,  for  he  fell  into  a  pool  up  to  his 
neck  ;  although  in  this  predicament  he  became  very 
polite,  the  peasant  would  not  pull  him  out ;  he  was 
therefore  obliged  to  remain  there  until  another  carriage 
came  to  the  rescue. 

"  There  was,  indeed,  a  great  deal  to  laugh  at  next 
day  when  the  company  related  their  adventures ; 
but  even  more  amusing  experience  was  in  store  for 
the  Duchess  de  Montebello. 

"  I  was  so  fatigued  on  the  7th  that  I  did  not  get 
out  of  bed  till  dinner-time  ;  moreover,  the  town  and 
its  suburbs  were  not  sufficiently  interesting  to  tempt 
me  to  visit  them. 

"  The  Emperor  went  out  to  inspect  the  fortifica- 

*  A  febrifuge. 


BOIS-LE-DUC  91 

tions  and  receive  the  local  officials.  I  spent  the  day 
in  talking  to  the  Duchess,  for  all  my  books  and  work 
had  been  left  at  Antwerp.  I  was  very  badly  lodged 
and  had  only  my  bedroom,  which  was  dreadfully 
damp. 

"  The  gentlemen  had  been  buying  contraband 
goods  all  day  and  persuaded  the  Duchess  to  do  the 
same  in  the  evening.  MM.  de  St.  Aignan  and  de 
Bondy  came  to  fetch  her  in  a  hired  carriage.  The 
coachman,  who  apparently  had  driven  them  the 
evening  before,  thought  he  knew  the  place  to  which 
he  was  to  take  them,  so  they  stopped  at  the  door 
of  a  house  and  began  to  mount  the  stairs,  when 
the  mistress  of  the  house  arrived  with  a  light  in  her 
hand.  At  the  sight  of  this  woman  the  gentlemen 
became  much  embarrassed  and  besought  the  Duchess 
to  come  downstairs  again,  telling  her  at  the  same  time 
that  they  had  mistaken  the  warehouse.  She  kept 
repeating,  '  It  does  not  matter,  I  will  go  up  just  the 
same,'  until  they  were  obliged  to  admit  they  had 
been  altogether  misdirected,  and  that  this  was  a 
house  where  they  had  acquaintances  whom  it  was 
impossible  for  them  to  present  to  her.  The  Duchess, 
however,  still  insisted,  whereupon  they  were  obliged 
to  tell  her  that  it  was  a  house  of  ill-fame  ;  this  made 
her  furious. 

"  The  following  morning,  on  leaving  Bois-le-Duc, 
we  passed  through  the  whole  town,  which  is  rather 
pretty,  and  has  a  population  of  12,000,  all  of  whom 
are  Catholics. 

"  The  road  was  just  as  ugly  as  on  the  previous  day 
as  far  as  the  spot  where  we  took  our  lunch,  and  we 
were  unable  to  proceed  faster  than  a  walking  pace. 


92      JOURNEY  TO   SAINT-QUENTIN     [On.  IV 

'  We  lunched  at  the  house  of  a  pastor,  which  was 
remarkable  for  its  cleanliness.  From  there  we  con- 
tinued as  far  as  Gertruidenberg,  where  we  waited  an 
interminable  time  to  cross  a  small  river  in  a  ferry 
boat.  While  the  Emperor  visited  the  fortifications 
we  continued  our  journey  still  at  the  same  pace.  I 
was  with  the  Queen  of  Westphalia,  who  was  in  a  very 
bad  temper  with  the  King,  perhaps  justifiably,  for 
such  a  husband  must  make  her  very  unhappy ;  I 
pity  her  sincerely. 

'  The  road  improved  five  leagues  from  Bergen-op- 
zoom ;  we  thought  it  delightful  after  our  experience 
of  the  last  two  days.  Nothing  but  meadows,  gardens, 
magnificent  fields,  and  charming  Dutch  villages  were 
visible.  We  continued  our  route  along  the  Meuse  by 
the  side  of  the  famous  Moerdyk,  which  is  an  arm  of  the 
river  and  forms  the  boundary  between  the  French 
Empire  and  Holland.  There  are  many  fortifications. 
Here  we  crossed  the  Meuse,  which  becomes  very  narrow, 
and  were  only  15  leagues  from  Amsterdam. 

'  What  would  I  not  have  given  to  have  been  able 
to  visit  this  fine  capital,  but  when  one  travels  with  the 
Emperor  one  learns  to  forgo  all  ideas  of  pleasure  trips. 

"  We  were  obliged  to  cross  some  more  dykes  in 
ferry  boats,  arriving  at  last  at  nine  in  the  evening  at 
Bergen-op-Zoom,  which  is  well  fortified  and  has  from 
8,000  to  12,000  inhabitants. 

"  The  houses  here  were  dreadful,  but  we  were  put 
up  in  the  best.  A  wooden  ladder  did  service  for  a 
staircase,  and  our  apartments  consisted  of  two  rooms  ; 
nevertheless,  the  Emperor  insisted  on  staying  there 
another  day.  The  other  houses  were  in  the  same 
style. 


BERGEN-OP-ZOOM  93 

'  The  first  person  I  met  was  M.  Bourdier,  who  had 
established  himself  in  my  room,  furious  at  being  left 
at  Breda,  and  declaring  he  would  send  in  his  resigna- 
tion. In  vain  I  talked  to  him,  I  could  not  calm  him. 
Presently  I,  too,  became  angry  and  told  him  to  go 
away,  because  he  tired  me.  Happily  he  obeyed  this 
behest  immediately,  but  did  not  expect  the  same  fate 
was  in  store  for  him  on  the  morrow. 

'  We  sat  down  to  dinner,  at  which  the  Emperor 
expressed  great  dissatisfaction  with  his  quarters,  so 
as  he  could  not  lay  the  blame  on  any  of  us,  his  wrath 
fell  upon  the  dinner.  At  each  dish  he  remarked, 
*  What  a  disgusting  stew,  if  only  there  were  a  leg  of 
mutton.'  This  was  brought  to  him ;  then  he  said,  '  If 
only  there  were  some  salad  ; '  that,  too,  was  brought. 
When  he  saw  that  the  same  thing  happened  each 
time,  he  retired  to  bed.  What  amused  me  most 
was  the  Duchesse  de  Montebello,  who  was  bursting 
with  laughter  in  spite  of  the  signs  I  made  to  her. 
She  is  really  not  courtier  enough  for  the  country 
in  which  we  live,  besides,  she  has  one  great  fault 
which  will  tell  against  her,  she  is  too  much  attached 
to  me. 

'  We  all  retired  to  our  rooms  determined  to  sleep 
the  whole  of  the  next  day.  The  King  and  Queen  of 
Westphalia  found  fair  quarters,  but  without  beds  or 
chairs ;  the  Prince  de  Neuchatel  a  room  without  any 
glass  to  the  window ;  he  was  therefore  obliged  to  use 
his  papers  to  keep  out  the  draughts  ! 

"  The  Viceroy  arrived  too  late  for  dinner,  and  was 
quartered  on  an  invalid  who  suffered  with  dreadful 
catarrh,  and  who,  for  supper,  gave  him  hot  lemonade 
and  bread,  saying  as  he  presented  the  glass, '  I  cannot 

G 


94     JOUKNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN     [On.  IV 

offer  you  a  better,  it  is  the  one  out  of  which  I  drink 
myself,'  consequently  the  Viceroy  was  obliged  to 
drink  from  it ! 

"  I  went  to  bed  with  the  firm  intention  of  not  being 
wakened  the  next  day.  Vain  hope  ! 

"  The  Emperor,  who  apparently  did  not  find  his 
lodgings  sufficiently  attractive,  mounted  his  horse  at 
four  o'clock  and  decided  while  riding  to  depart  at 
eight,  and  to  leave  one  set  of  attendants  here.  The 
confusion  caused  by  this  unexpected  departure  was 
so  great  that  all  the  luggage  was  left  behind  ! 

'  The  Emperor  refused  to  wait,  and  nearly  left 
the  King  and  Queen  of  Westphalia  behind ;  however, 
they  arrived  just  as  we  were  embarking  on  the  canal. 

:<  The  Viceroy  had  not  found  his  quarters  suffi- 
ciently comfortable,  and  so  had  slept  elsewhere. 
Apparently  he  told  his  valet  to  call  him  late  in  the 
morning.  The  man  had  taken  away  his  uniform  and 
locked  the  door  from  outside.  Happily  the  room 
was  on  the  ground  floor,  so  the  Viceroy  jumped  from 
the  window  on  to  the  square  in  somewhat  light  attire, 
to  the  great  astonishment  of  the  inhabitants  ! 

"  I  do  not  know  who  was  malicious  enough  to  tell 
this  story  to  the  Emperor,  but  he  was  so  furious,  the 
Viceroy  was  sent  back  to  Paris  on  our  return  to 
Brussels. 

"  At  eight  o'clock  we  proceeded  through  the  town 
in  our  carriages  and  passed  close  by  the  trading  port 
in  which  a  great  many  vessels  were  lying.  We 
embarked  at  the  spot  where  the  canal  joins  the 
Scheldt,  and  went  down  stream  for  an  hour  in  some 
charming  gondolas.  The  Scheldt  here  is  more  than 
a  league  in  breadth  and  its  water  already  tidal.  The 


ZUID-BEVELAND  95 

weather  was  very  fine  and  calm,  so  our  boats  moved 
smoothly.  Away  to  the  right  was  the  foreland  of  the 
Isle  of  Tholen. 

'  The  sea  air  gave  us  such  an  appetite  that  we  ate 
a  cold  lunch.  I  do  not  know  what  evil  genius  put  this 
idea  into  our  heads,  but  everybody  became  ill.  The 
Queen  of  Westphalia  and  myself  were  the  least  in- 
convenienced because  we  had  taken  the  precaution 
of  immediately  going  into  the  fresh  air.  But  the 
Emperor,  the  Viceroy,  and  the  Due  d'Istrie  were 
violently  sick.  They  therefore  determined  to  dis- 
embark at  ten  o'clock  upon  the  Isle  of  Zuid-Beveland 
without  ascertaining  if  there  were  any  carriages  there 
to  convey  us  to  the  other  side. 

"  After  making  inquiries  the  Due  d'Istrie  at  last 
found  us  two  or  three  peasant  conveyances  which 
were  neither  carts  nor  carriages,  and  to  which  two 
horses  were  harnessed ;  these  were  so  high  that  a 
ladder  was  needed  to  get  into  them,  and  so  narrow 
that  two  people  could  scarcely  sit  abreast ;  they  had 
no  springs,  consequently  were  very  hard  and,  to 
complete  our  misfortunes,  were  occupied  by  a  number 
of  very  disagreeable  small  intruders. 

:t  The  Due  d'Istrie  mounted  his  horse  and  preceded 
us  to  arrange  for  boats  to  be  prepared  for  us  on  the 
other  side  of  the  island. 

"  The  carriage  in  which  the  Duchesse  de  Monte- 
bello  rode  with  the  Comtesse  de  Liverstein  and  the 
Viceroy  capsized  and  was  broken  into  a  thousand 
pieces.  He  alighted  on  his  feet,  the  Duchesse  escaped 
with  a  tumble,  but  the  Comtesse  de  Liverstein  was 
dragged  along  by  the  horses  and  her  elbow  badly 
injured. 


96     JOURNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN      [Cn.  IV 

'  The  island  of  Zuid-Beveland  is  really  charming. 
On  the  road  we  passed  through  fruit  gardens  and  little 
woods  of  limes,  elms,  and  willows,  interspersed  with 
small  villages.  In  the  little  town  of  Goes  we  were 
agreeably  surprised  to  find  carriages,  excellent  com- 
pared with  those  we  had  just  left. 

"  After  passing  through  the  town  of  Zeebourg, 
which  is  rather  pretty,  we  arrived  at  the  other  side  of 
the  island  at  Hoopfort.  There  we  embarked  in  a 
packet  boat  and  again  went  down  the  Scheldt.  We 
saw  many  porpoises,  a  very  curious  fish  having  the 
head  of  a  pig,  while  its  body  is  quite  round ;  it  rolls 
on  its  back  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  in  this  way 
makes  a  great  deal  of  progress  in  a  short  time. 

"  We  disembarked  at  four  o'clock  at  the  head  of 
Fort  Ramshen,  where  the  best  carriages  of  the  town 
of  Middelburg  were  waiting  for  us.  I  do  not  exag- 
gerate when  I  say  they  must  have  been  constructed 
at  least  150  years  ago. 

"  We  were  so  famished  that  we  ate  two  large  military 
loaves  which  some  soldiers  brought  us. 

"  The  Emperor  inspected  the  town  of  Flushing  on 
horseback,  while  the  Queen  of  Westphalia  and  I 
continued  our  journey  to  Middelburg.  The  Island 
of  Walcheren  is  just  as  fine  as  Zuid-Beveland  ;  should 
one,  however,  be  tempted  to  settle  there,  one  would 
soon  pay  very  dearly.  The  air  is  so  pestilential  that 
every  year  during  the  months  of  September  and 
October  there  are  the  most  frightful  epidemics  of 
malarial  fever,  consequently  the  inhabitants  seldom 
live  to  the  age  of  fifty.  Their  complexions  are  yellow 
and  livid.  The  Emperor  is  obliged  to  relieve  the  large 
garrison  every  three  months,  and  yet  two-thirds  of  the 


MIDDELBURG  97 

soldiers  are  always  ill  when  they  return.  It  is  essential 
for  them  to  drink  wine  while  they  are  in  the  island. 

"  We  continued  our  road  along  a  very  high  dyke 
as  far  as  Middelburg,  which  we  reached  at  five  o'clock, 
and  were  lodged  in  a  house  belonging  to  the  Emperor, 
which  had  formerly  been  a  convent.  It  had  been 
decorated  and  furnished  for  our  reception,  hence  the 
papers  were  still  quite  fresh.  I  felt  some  repugnance, 
however,  at  sleeping  in  the  bed  in  which  some  English 
had  died  about  two  years  previously.  I  am  so  timid 
about  illness  that  I  imagined  I  could  still  scent  the 
odour  of  death  in  the  town.  It  is  said  more  than 
30,000  English  perished  at  Middelburg  during  that 
epidemic. 

"  My  apartment  looked  upon  a  courtyard  filled 
with  fine  trees.  We  were  entertained  with  some 
delightful  military  music,  which  I  would  have  listened 
to  with  pleasure  had  it  not  prevented  my  sleeping. 
My  attendants  ultimately  arrived  at  three  o'clock,  so 
I  was  able  at  last  to  go  to  bed,  but  they  brought  me 
no  change  of  clothing,  consequently  the  Emperor  will 
be  obliged  to  see  me  in  the  same  dress  and  chemise 
until  we  leave  here. 

"  I  resigned  myself  to  the  situation  without  any 
fuss,  but  the  Queen  of  Westphalia  was  inconsolable ; 
her  women  arrived  twenty-four  hours  after  us,  so  she 
made  the  unfortunate  Comtesse  de  Liverstein  stay 
up  all  night  in  the  antechamber  to  make  tea  for  her,  and 
when  it  was  brought  she  scolded  her,  would  not  drink 
it,  and  cried  with  rage.  It  requires  an  angel  from 
Heaven  to  put  up  with  her.  I  know  very  well  what 
I  should  have  done  if  I  had  been  a  lady-in-waiting. 

"  I  did  not  wake  on  the  10th  till  midday,  when 


98     JOURNEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN      [On.  IV 

the  Emperor  gave  us  a  pleasant  surprise  by  saying  he 
would  take  us  at  two  o'clock  to  the  sea,  and  made  an 
appointment  to  meet  at  the  Fort  de  Haag  at  three 
o'clock.  The  Queen  of  Westphalia,  however,  kept  me 
waiting  more  than  an  hour,  which  made  me  at  least 
as  impatient  as  herself.  I  was  really  angry  to  think 
how  vexed  the  Emperor  would  be  with  me  if  I  did  not 
arrive  in  time,  accordingly  I  was  out  of  temper  the 
whole  day. 

"  As  a  rule  I  am  a  good-natured  person,  perhaps 
too  weak,  but  when  in  a  passion  (which  happens  very 
rarely)  I  am  perhaps  more  angry  than  other  women. 

"  The  part  of  the  island  over  which  we  wandered  is 
like  an  ornamental  garden,  full  of  fruit  trees,  weeping 
willows,  elms,  and,  above  all,  most  beautiful  meadows 
and  lovely  flowers. 

!<  There  are  few  villages,  but  many  scattered 
houses,  extremely  clean  and  inhabited  by  rich  farmers. 
A  marshy  odour  is  perceptible  everywhere,  and  in 
walking  on  these  beautiful  meadows  one  is  often  as- 
tonished to  find  oneself  halfway  to  the  knee  in  water. 

"  At  four  o'clock  we  reached  Fort  Haag,  behind 
which  are  the  dunes.  These  are  sand  hills  of  various 
shapes  from  which  we  could  see  the  tips  of  masts 
which  showed  the  sea  was  not  far  distant. 

"  I  was  impatient  to  see  it  at  once,  so,  to  while  away 
the  time,  we  tasted  the  cream,  which  is  excellent,  and 
is  preserved  in  curious  green  bottles. 

"  The  Emperor  wished  to  show  us  the  sea  at  once, 
but  here  the  dunes  were  impassable,  which  obliged  us 
to  take  another  short  journey  of  two  hours,  in  car- 
riages, to  find  a  spot  which  we  could  climb.  At  last 
we  found  it,  and  I  was  much  astonished  on  getting 


out  to  find  my  legs  half  buried  in  sand.  Each  step 
we  took  was  equally  troublesome,  but  the  ascent  was 
nothing  to  travellers  as  intrepid  as  ourselves,  and  we 
were  well  repaid  by  the  fine  view  that  burst  upon  us 
when  we  reached  the  top  of  the  hills. 

'  We  saw  the  ocean  as  an  immense  surface  of  water 
bounded  only  by  the  horizon ;  the  sun  was  setting,  and 
coloured  the  sea  like  a  rainbow.  Far  off  we  could 
descry  some  fishing  boats  returning  from  their  labour, 
protected  by  a  sloop.  It  is  always  necessary  to 
protect  them  in  this  manner  from  the  English,  who 
take  their  fish,  which  they  refuse  to  pay  for.  The  sea 
was  very  calm  except  on  the  shore,  where  it  was  break- 
ing upon  the  rocks  with  some  violence. 

'  The  Emperor  called  for  maps  and  talked  with 
the  engineers. 

:s  The  Queen  of  Westphalia  and  I  amused  ourselves 
by  picking  up  shells  with  which  the  beach  was  covered. 
Some  were  charming,  but  those  of  the  Mediterranean 
and  the  Indies  are  said  to  be  infinitely  finer.  These 
shells  combined  with  the  unwholesome  air  and  the 
mischievous  trick  of  the  King,  were  the  cause  of  my 
having  three  attacks  of  fever. 

"  In  the  middle  of  our  amusement  I  saw  that  the 
Viceroy  and  the  Due  d'Istrie  were  watching  and 
laughing  at  us  in  a  very  significant  manner.  I  had 
not  time  to  ask  why,  before  the  tide  came  up  with 
great  force,  faster  than  we  were  able  to  run  and 
wetted  us  to  the  knees ;  fortunately  it  returned  as 
quickly  as  it  had  come. 

"  These  gentlemen  then  explained  this  was  the 
usual  habit  of  the  tide,  they  might,  however,  have  been 
gallant  enough  to  warn  us. 


100     JOUENEY  TO  SAINT-QUENTIN    [On.  IV 

'  We  gave  up  our  search  and  asked  the  Emperor's 
permission  to  change.  His  reply  was,  '  Stay  as  you 
are,  ladies,  this  bath  will  do  you  good,'  so  he  made  us 
wait  till  eight  o'clock. 

'  When  we  reached  home  we  dined,  and  the  same 
military  music  was  performed  as  on  the  evening  before. 

"  On  the  llth,  the  weather  was  shocking  all  day  ; 
this  did  not  prevent  the  Emperor  from  going  a  second 
time  to  see  Flushing.  I  remained  in  bed  in  a  high 
fever. 

'''  I  do  not  know  what  has  become  of  my  iron 
constitution,  it  has  disappeared  entirely.  I  am  sure 
this  is  the  fault  of  the  doctor,  who  during  the  whole 
journey  has  done  nothing  but  dose  me. 

"  On  his  return  the  Emperor  told  us  that  he  had 
seen  an  English  frigate  approach  within  range  of  the 
cannon  of  Flushing,  which  in  obedience  to  his  order 
had  bombarded  her  so  hotly  that  she  had  retired 
quicker  than  she  came. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  12th,  the  Emperor  held 
a  council ;  it  really  was  not  our  fault  that  we  heard 
everything,  for  the  hall  was  close  to  my  room  and 
the  Emperor  shouted  terribly. 

"  I  had  fever  again  all  night,  so  being  much 
fatigued  and  the  weather  dreadful,  I  only  drove  out 
at  two  o'clock  to  see  the  town. 

"  Middelburg  has  30,000  inhabitants ;  it  is  a 
fortress,  surrounded  by  beautiful  country  houses  and 
gardens,  but  I  was  unable  to  see  them,  not  having 
our  horses  here.  The  finest  buildings  of  the  town  are 
the  Cathedral,  the  town  hall,  and  the  meat  markets  ; 
they  are  at  least  as  fine  as  those  I  have  seen  in  Paris, 
and  much  cleaner. 


MIDDELBURG  101 

"  The  trading  port  is  very  large  and  surrounded 
by  avenues  where  the  people  of  Middelburg  promenade 
on  Sundays.  Some  of  the  houses  are  fine. 

"  On  returning  I  found  the  Queen  of  Westphalia 
very  much  out  of  temper  because  I  had  not  taken 
her,  but  she  wearies  me  by  her  incessant  inquiry, 
'  Do  you  still  care  for  the  Duchesse  de  Montebello  ? ' 

"  I  have  only  known  the  Duchess  two  months,  and 
am  most  attached  to  her,  so  could  not  help  replying 
to  the  Queen,  '  My  dear,  I  do  not  change  my  friends 
like  my  chemises.'  What  she  said  to  me  is  just  the 
way  a  Queen  talks.  People  say  that  women  of  our 
rank  do  not  know  how  to  form  their  attachments, 
but  I  should  like  to  show  there  are  exceptions.  It  is 
quite  true  the  poor  Queen  is  very  unfortunate  with 
her  friends,  hardly  has  she  made  a  friend  before  the 
King  makes  her  his  mistress,  and  that  really  is  not 
the  way  to  keep  her  attached  to  them. 

"  In  the  evening  the  Viceroy  took  the  Duchesse  de 
Montebello  to  purchase  contraband  goods,  and  to  see 
the  spire  of  the  Cathedral  which  is  said  to  be  very 
ancient. 

"  It  was  decided  that  we  should  depart  the  follow- 
ing day  whatever  the  weather  might  be.  I  am  glad, 
for,  although  the  island  is  certainly  very  attractive,  I 
have  not  much  enjoyed  wearing  the  same  clothes  for 
four  days. 

"  In  the  evening  we  received  the  local  officials. 
There  were  not  very  many,  and  most  of  them  did  not 
understand  French." 

Here  the  manuscript  breaks  off.  The  journey, 
however,  was  far  from  completed.  The  Emperor  left 
Middelburg  on  May  13  after  Mass,  inspected  the  forts 


102     JOURNEY   TO  SAINT-QUENTIN    [On.  IV 

as  he  passed,  and  reached  Antwerp  at  ten  o'clock. 
On  the  14th  he  left  Antwerp  at  four  in  the  afternoon 
and  arrived  at  Laeken  at  nine.  The  15th  and  16th 
were  spent  at  Laeken  ;  on  the  15th,  a  play  was  per- 
formed at  Brussels,  followed  by  the  presentation  of 
the  ladies ;  on  the  16th,  inspection  of  the  manufactories 
and  a  fete  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville ;  on  the  17th,  Ghent 
was  visited ;  on  the  18th,  Bruges ;  here,  on  the  follow- 
ing day,  Marie-Louise  visited  the  tomb  of  her  ances- 
tress Marie  of  Burgundy,  daughter  of  Charles  the 
Rash  and  wife  of  Maximilian ;  on  the  20th,  she  left 
Bruges  for  Ostend  by  the  Wilhelmina,  a  barque  from 
Ghent ;  on  the  21st,  she  left  Ostend  for  Dunkirk  ; 
and  on  the  22nd  arrived  at  Lille,  where  they  stayed 
over  the  23rd  ;  then  Bethune,  Calais,  Boulogne  were 
visited  on  the  25th  ;  Abbeville,  Saint  Valery,  Fecamp, 
Dieppe,  on  the  26th ;  the  27th-29th  were  spent  at 
Le  Havre,  and  the  30th-31st  at  Rouen.  On  June  1 
at  nine  o'clock  the  Emperor  returned  to  Saint-Cloud. 


CHAPTER  V 

SAINT-CLOUD — FONTAINEBLEAU — PARIS — SAINT-CLOUD 
— RAMBOUILLET,  JUNE  1,  1810-MAY  22,  1811 — 
JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG,  MAY  22-JUNE  4 

AFTER  returning  on  June  1  to  Saint-Cloud,  Napoleon 
remained  for  nearly  a  year  in  the  vicinity  of  Paris, 
holding  his  Court  at  the  various  country  seats,  thereby 
recalling  the  days  of  nomad  sovereignty.  Princes, 
princesses,  the  city  of  Paris,  ministers,  marshals,  the 
Imperial  Guard,  all  vied  with  one  another  in  feting 
the  Empress.  Throughout  the  spring  there  was  a 
succession  of  balls,  suppers,  plays,  and  more  or  less 
lively  diversions,  in  which  entertainers  like  Depreaux 
exerted  their  ingenuity,  preparing  festivals  which, 
while  being  novel  and  flattering,  should  also  be  in- 
teresting. It  must  be  confessed  that  they  were  not 
very  successful,  in  spite  of  the  costumes,  staging, 
topical  allusions,  and  songs.  Their  inventions  at  the 
present  time  appear  dismal  enough,  not  to  mention 
the  catastrophe  with  which  they  terminated. 

Victor  de  Broglie  wrote  to  Marmont  on  July  1  : 

"  Our  fetes  are  finished,  Monseigneur,  and  you 
have  little  to  regret.  We  have  had  balls,  fireworks, 
and  illuminations,  a  few  extra  lamps  and  rockets,  a 
few  more  gowns  with  trains,  and  that  is  all.  The  art 

103 


104  SAINT-CLOUD  [On.  V 

of  giving  fetes  has  not  advanced  as  rapidly  as  the 
opportunities  for  them  have  increased.  We  found 
this  out  at  the  ball  at  the  Ecole  Militaire,  where  there 
were  only  some  six  or  seven  thousand  too  many 
people.  Consequently  the  door  had  to  be  closed  on 
several  important  persons,  among  whom  were  the 
Minister  for  War  and  the  Minister  for  the  Interior. 
The  Empress  danced  at  all  these  fetes,  and  it  is  said 
she  is  beginning  to  lose  all  her  Germanic  habits  ;  her 
feet,  which  are  two  of  the  smallest  that  ever  trod  the 
pavement  of  Vienna,  now  turn  outwards,  and  she 
curtsies  with  her  head  instead  of  her  knees." 

The  fetes  were  over,  said  Victor  de  Broglie ;  but 
there  was  yet  one  more  to  come,  viz.  the  one  prepared 
for  their  Majesties  by  Prince  Schwarzenberg  and  the 
Princess,  nee  d'Arenberg,  at  the  former  Hotel  Montes- 
son,  in  the  rue  de  la  Chaussee  d'Antin.  A  large 
wooden  ballroom  had  been  constructed  over  the 
garden,  which  was  connected  with  the  house  by  a 
gallery,  also  made  of  wood.  The  ceilings  were  of 
tarpaulin,  covered  with  varnished  paper.  The  floors 
had  been  raised  to  the  level  of  the  rooms  by  scaffold- 
ing. An  enormous  chandelier  in  the  centre,  and 
sconces  upon  the  walls,  were  designed  to  shed  a  flood 
of  light  like  sunshine.  The  hangings  consisted  of  thin 
materials,  draped  on  the  walls  or  suspended  as  cur- 
tains. The  fete  included  a  band  of  wind  instruments 
which  was  to  perform  in  the  Cour  d'Honneur  until  the 
arrival  of  their  Majesties.  According  to  the  pro- 
gramme, the  Emperor  and  Empress  were  to  pass 
through  the  concert  hall  into  the  garden,  pausing  in 


A  FIRE  105 

front  of  the  Temple  of  Apollo,  where  the  Muses  would 
sing  a  chorus  ;  from  there  they  would  proceed  by  the 
Alice  de  la  Cascade  to  the  Subterranean  Grotto, 
where  orchestral  music  would  be  performed,  thence 
to  the  Vine  Bower,  adorned  with  monograms,  garlands, 
and  mirrors,  having  a  large  buffet  at  the  farther  end. 
Here  there  was  to  be  a  concert  of  French  and  German 
music  with  solos  on  a  new  instrument,  the  harmonica. 
Next  they  would  come  to  the  Temple  of  Fame,  where 
they  would  sit  on  a  dais  to  the  blare  of  trumpets,  the 
singing  of  choirs,  and  the  diffusing  of  perfumes,  till 
finally  their  Majesties  would  arrive  at  the  Imperial 
Pavilion,  from  the  platform  of  which  they  were  to 
witness  a  fete  de  Chateau  and  a  ballet  champetre  staged 
like  the  gardens  at  the  Laxenburg,  to  be  followed  by 
fireworks.  After  that  they  were  to  return  to  the 
great  hall  and  proceed  to  the  ballroom. 

Madame  de  Lu9ay,  who  accompanied  the  Empress 
and  sat  behind  her,  noticed  that  Prince  Eugene  was 
whispering  to  the  Emperor.  One  of  the  draperies  in  the 
ballroom  had  just  caught  fire,  so  the  Emperor  rose,  and 
having  taken  the  arm  of  the  Empress  as  if  he  intended 
to  walk  about  the  hall,  went  out  by  the  first  door. 
Madame  de  Lu9ay  followed  by  a  small  exit  behind 
the  throne.  In  an  instant  all  was  in  flames.  It 
seems  extraordinary  that  so  few  people  were  killed. 
There  must  have  been  a  mad  rush,  but  of  this  the  less 
said  the  better !  The  women  lost  their  shawls,  their 
necklaces,  their  diamond  combs ;  the  men  their 
swords,  their  hats,  their  shoes ;  Baron  de  Garzoni- 
Venturi,  General  Doumerc,  General  Preval,  M.  de 


106  SAINT-CLOUD  [On.  V 

Magnien,  Baron  de  Torregiant,  General  de  Tousard, 
Baron  de  Juste,  M.  de  Montlivault,  Baron  de  Montes- 
quiou,  M.  Pioche,  and  others  all  bemoaned  the  loss 
of  their  shoes  on  account  of  the  buckles,  a  proof  that 
these  gentlemen  ran  away  very  quickly. 

Princess  Schwarzenberg  who  was  crushed  by  the 
great  lustre,  lost  938  diamonds,  weighing  269  carats ; 
Prince  Kouratine  the  Russian  Ambassador  lost  a 
a  diamond  sword  mount,  part  of  a  diamond  epaulette, 
a  diamond  loop  from  his  hat,  a  diamond  garter 
buckle,  and  a  large  diamond  on  a  square  snuff-box 
with  a  portrait  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria.  It  fell 
to  the  floor  and  the  stones  dropped  out.  Princess 
Schwarzenberg  was  one  of  the  first  victims,  but  there 
were  many  others,  the  wife  of  the  Russian  Consul, 
Comtesse  de  la  Leyen,  Madame  Tousard,  the  Prefet 
of  Istria,  and  Princess  de  Carignan. 

All  this  became  known  by  rumour.  Without  im- 
posing silence,  great  discretion  was  observed.  This 
catastrophe,  like  that  in  the  Place  Louis  XV.  during 
the  fireworks  for  the  Dauphin's  marriage,  portended 
disaster.  The  Empress,  from  whom  it  was  impossible 
to  conceal  the  death  of  Princess  Schwarzenberg,  was 
deeply  moved ;  when  on  awaking  next  morning  she 
heard  of  her  death,  she  shed  many  tears. 

It  may  have  been  to  distract  her  thoughts  that  the 
Emperor  took  her  to  Rambouillet,  from  July  6th  to 
the  17th.  There  they  stayed  in  semi-state.  The 
Emperor  was  in  good  spirits.  He  amused  himself  by 
playing  rounders,  and  although  already  stout,  he  still 
ran  easily  enough.  In  one  of  these  games  he  fell  twice, 


RAMBOUILLET  107 

for  as  he  rushed  forward  to  seize  his  opponent  the 
Grand  Marechal,  who  eluded  him  each  time,  the 
Emperor  twice  rolled  on  the  sand  four  paces  away 
from  him.  There  were  other  delightful  sports. 
Marie-Louise  wrote  : 

"  We  celebrated  the  fete  of  my  brother-in-law 
Camille  (Borghese),  whom  we  tease  almost  as  much  as 
Prince  Antoine  de  Saxe.  I  made  all  my  ladies  give 
him  a  bouquet  of  nettles  ;  I  gave  him  a  watch  which 
plays  tunes,  and  at  night  they  put  a  hard  brush  among 
his  sheets,  with  the  result  that  with  a  very  woeful 
face  he  paid  me  an  early  visit  this  morning  at  eight 
o'clock." 

On  the  17th  their  Majesties  returned  to  Saint- 
Cloud  where  their  life  resumed  its  ordinary  course, 
but  only  for  a  short  time,  for  on  August  2  they  were 
installed  at  the  Trianon.  From  there  the  Empress 
wrote  to  Madame  de  Lu$ay  : 

"  I  had  no  time  yesterday  to  give  you  my  com- 
missions, so  am  writing  to  send  you  them.  Will  you 
kindly  tell  the  Chenille  embroideress  that,  from 
to-morrow,  I  will  take  my  lesson  every  day  from  one 
o'clock  to  two,  and  my  drawing  lesson  from  three  to 
four.  I  beg  you  also  to  bring  me  a  catalogue  of 
Lenormand's  books.  The  Emperor  says  there  is  no 
objection  to  the  tradesmen  coming  here  provided  I 
do  not  see  them.  I  beg  you  to  pay  Isabey  for  the  two 
portraits,  and  to  order  one  from  him  in  the  same 
costume,  of  the  size  enclosed.  Nitot  might  frame 
it  in  a  gold  border  with  the  little  coloured  stones 
which  mean  '  Louise,  je  t'aime.'  '  Louise '  should  be 
in  larger  stones  and  the  two  other  words  in  smaller. 


108  SAINT-CLOUD  [On.  IV 

I  would  like  him  to  do  this  as  quickly  as  possible,  so 
that  I  may  be  able  to  give  it  as  a  present  in  about  a 
fortnight.  Please  excuse  my  urgency." 

The  real  Marie-Louise  of  the  moment  is  expressed 
in  that  letter ;  her  taste  for  methodical  planning  of 
small  occupations,  her  attention  to  economy,  above 
all  her  affection  for  Napoleon,  for  whom  she  intended 
this  portrait  which  was  to  be  placed  upon  his  inkstand. 
The  Emperor  must  not  be  able  to  write  a  line  without 
beholding  his  wife,  without  reading  again  the  vow  he 
had  made  her  ;  it  was  an  obsession.  But  should  we 
not  put  to  her  credit  this  wish  to  be  recalled  to  his 
thought,  to  be  constantly  near  him,  to  caress  him  by 
the  continual  gift  of  her  presence  ?  We  must  cer- 
tainly admit  that  this  woman  either  displayed  sincere 
feeling,  or  was  playing  an  infamous  comedy.  One  is 
reluctant  to  admit  she  was  lying — and  yet ! 

On  the  return  from  Trianon  to  Saint-Cloud  an 
interview,  on  the  12th,  was  granted  to  M.  de  Lehndorf, 
who  had  come  to  announce  the  death  of  the  Queen 
of  Prussia.  This  woman  had  been  unable,  after  pro- 
voking France  and  insulting  the  Emperor,  to  collect 
her  resources  or  accept  her  reverses,  and  had  died  of 
failure.  The  Emperor  and  the  whole  Court  went  into 
mourning  for  her ;  the  first  period  was  eleven  days, 
the  second  ten.  All  mourning  would  be  suspended 
on  the  coming  fete  days.  The  Queen  of  Prussia  had 
to  stand  aside.  The  15th  was  the  Emperor's  birth- 
day, and  on  this  occasion  the  Colonne  Vendome  was 
uncovered  without  any  ceremony,  out  of  consideration 
to  the  new  Empress.  All  Paris  was  afoot  from  six  in 


THE  EMPRESS'S  BIRTHDAY          109 

the  morning  when  volleys  of  artillery  were  fired.  On 
waking,  the  Emperor  was  greeted  by  the  Empress 
and  the  princes  and  princesses  of  the  family,  who 
offered  him  their  congratulations  in  his  private  apart- 
ments. At  midday  in  the  throne-room  he  received 
persons  of  exalted  rank,  officers  of  the  household  and 
diplomatic  service.  After  that  he  attended  Mass 
with  the  Te  Deum.  The  great  ceremony  followed 
when  the  Emperor  on  his  throne  received  deputa- 
tions from  Holland  and  Illyria.  In  the  evening  there 
was  a  Court  function  with  a  concert  on  the  terrace, 
salutes  of  artillery,  illuminations,  and  fireworks. 

The  birthday  of  the  Empress,  ten  days  later,  was 
celebrated  in  quite  a  different  way,  less  formally  and 
with  more  elegance.  On  Saturday  the  25th  at  one 
o'clock,  all  the  ladies  of  the  Palace  with  the  Duchess 
and  the  wives  of  the  high  officials  and  ministers,  pre- 
sented their  congratulations  to  her,  and  were  followed 
by  the  gentlemen.  On  the  Sunday  there  was  Mass 
as  usual,  and  the  Emperor  held  a  large  reception  which 
the  Empress  did  not  attend.  After  dining  en  famille, 
their  Majesties  drove  through  the  illuminated  park 
and  saw  the  fountains  playing  under  coloured  lights. 
They  then  proceeded  to  the  play,  where  Aihalie  was 
given  first,  followed  by  La  Fete  du  Chateau,  with  birth- 
day odes  which  constituted  the  chief  attraction  of  the 
evening.  By  Order  of  His  Majesty,  the  King  and 
Emperor,  this  compliment  in  the  form  of  a  vaudeville 
had  been  specially  composed  by  Alissan  de  Chazel, 
who  during  three  reigns  fawned  upon  any  one  who 
could  pay  him.  It  was  to  be  performed  by  Ellevion 

H 


110  SAINT-CLOUD  [On.  V 

of  the  Theatre  Feydeau,  Madame  Decosta,  pupil  of 
the  Conservatoire,  M.  Hippolyte  from  the  Theatre  du 
Vaudeville,  M.  Baptiste  Cadet  from  the  Theatre 
Francais,  Madame  Gavaudan  from  the  Theatre 
Feydeau,  Madame  Festa  from  the  Theatre  Bouffon, 
and  Mdlle.  Mars  from  the  Theatre  Frangais.  The 
principal  artists,  Mme.  Gavaudan,  Mme.  Festa,  and 
Mdlle.  Mars,  represented  the  three  Louises,  French, 
Italian,  and  German.  The  scene  was  laid  in  the  castle 
of  M.  de  Valmont.  Other  characters  were  Factotum, 
steward  to  M.  de  Valmont,  his  son  Benjamin  who 
stuttered,  and  Madame  de  Valmont,  who  wishing  to 
celebrate  this  great  occasion  (Louise's  birthday) 
promised  a  dot  to  any  young  woman  of  the  village 
who  bore  the  name  Louise  and  possessed  one  of  the 
talents  of  her  sovereign.  This  offer  gave  an  op- 
portunity for  a  varied  display  :  Louise,  the  French 
girl,  had  painted  a  portrait  of  the  Sovereign  ;  Luigia 
sang  her  praises  to  the  air  of  M.  Paer,  and  Louisa  to 
a  German  melody.  M.  de  Valmont  gave  a  sum  of 
money  to  each  of  them,  whereupon  the  theatre  opened 
displaying  a  magic  picture  of  the  gardens  of  Schon- 
brunn,  with  the  bust  of  Louise  surrounded  by  villagers 
and  others  who  did  homage  to  her :  ALL  Germans ! 
Brothers ! !  Brothers ! ! !  There  was  much  singing 
and  dancing,  and  the  play  was  printed  at  the  Imperial 
Press. 

After  these  fetes  the  only  event  of  the  month 
was  the  presentation  of  Bernadotte  and  Mdlle. 
Clary  his  wife,  now  Prince  and  Princess  of  Sweden. 
The  details  of  the  ceremony  had  been  repeatedly 


FONTAINEBLEAU  111 

revised  in  order  to  satisfy  the  Prince  de  Pontecorvo, 
who  received  from  the  Emperor  the  crown  of  Spain 
together  with  a  million  in  money.  He  wanted  two 
million ;  but  not  even  that  sum  could  prevent  him 
from  turning  traitor. 

On  September  25  the  Emperor  left  for  Fontaine- 
bleau,  where  on  the  30th,  the  Mayor  presented  the 
customary  offerings  (fruits  d'honneur)  at  the  grand 
audience  after  Mass.  The  chief  event  of  this  visit, 
which  lasted  from  October  30  to  November  16,  was 
the  amazing  ceremony  of  November  4  which  was 
intended  to  pave  the  way  for  the  official  announce- 
ment of  the  pregnancy  of  the  Empress.  Napoleon 
desired  on  this  occasion  that  all  the  children  whom 
he  had  proposed  to  name  after  Josephine  should  be 
baptised  and  that  Marie-Louise  should  be  their  god- 
mother. This  was  a  matter  of  great  difficulty.  Thus, 
for  instance,  as  there  was  a  prince  of  the  Imperial 
family,  a  bed  had  to  be  provided  for  him  according 
to  the  precedent  established  at  the  baptism  of  Hor- 
tense's  son  in  the  year  XIII.  It  followed  that  beds 
had  to  be  supplied  for  the  twenty-six  other  children, 
a  veritable  dormitory.  Again,  these  beds  differed 
greatly  in  size,  some  of  the  children  being  five,  six, 
seven,  and  even  ten  years  old,  while  others,  like 
Berthier's  son,  were  only  two  months  old,  or  three  like 
the  daughter  of  Maret.  This  disparity  in  ages  neces- 
sitated different  treatment  and  clothing.  The  pre- 
scribed costume  was  uniformly  white,  and  consisted 
of  a  long  robe  with  a  sash,  similar  to  that  worn  by 
neophytes.  The  mothers,  who  were  of  the  highest 


112  FONTAINEBLEAU  [Cn.  V 

rank  in  the  Empire,  naturally  vied  with  one  another 
in  elegance,  and  the  long  cambric  robes  were  trimmed 
with  none  but  the  finest  laces.  Then,  when  every- 
thing appeared  to  be  settled,  after  his  Imperial 
Highness  had  been  provided  with  a  cot  and  one  pillow, 
drapery,  counterpane,  and  canopy  of  silver  cloth  ; 
when  fifteen  cradles  covered  with  blue  taffeta  had 
been  prepared  for  the  infants  to  be  laid  on  a  table 
30  ft.  long  by  3  wide,  covered  in  its  turn  with  a 
blue  velvet  cloth  fringed  with  gold  ;  when  two  smaller 
tables  with  similar  covers  had  been  prepared  for  the 
double  (baptismal)  gifts — all  had  to  be  altered.  The 
Emperor  objected  to  blue,  everything  must  be  in 
white ! 

Next  Fesch  intervened  and  demanded  a  chrism 
cloth  of  lace  Ij  ft.  wide,  which  would  be  the  per- 
quisite of  the  Master  of  Ceremonies  of  the  Chapel. 
The  chrism  cloth  was  purchased.  Fesch  then  requested 
that  it  should  be  carried  on  a  bowl  and  not  upon  a 
cushion.  The  taper  garnished  with  white  velvet  and 
silver  fringes  had  to  be  of  a  special  shape.  All  this 
was  nothing.  At  the  same  time  he  would  not  dispense 
with  the  minutest  ceremonial,  so  the  ritual  for  cate- 
chumens had  to  be  carried  out  to  the  smallest  detail. 
If  of  suitable  age  the  children  must  themselves  reply 
to  the  questions  of  the  celebrant.  In  each  case  it 
would  be  necessary  for  the  Emperor  and  Empress  to 
enter  and  leave  the  sanctuary,  in  order  to  move  from 
one  State  chair  to  another,  as  the  State  chairs  could 
not  be  moved  without  their  canopies.  The  ceremony 
would  last  three  or  more  hours.  Were  the  children  to 


A  CHILDREN'S  DAY  113 

go  hungry  during  all  this  time  ?  The  nurses  would 
be  required  to  be  in  attendance  on  the  cots  in  the  hall, 
the  chapel,  and  elsewhere.  Each  time  the  Grand  Al- 
moner raised  these  points,  the  Emperor  decided  them. 
Although  addicted  to  ceremony,  he  was  anxious  not 
to  fatigue  the  Empress.  Again  on  reflection,  all  this 
array  of  cots  and  nurses  and  the  feeding  of  the  children 
in  his  palace  disgusted  him,  so  he  decided  to  have 
only  one  cot  for  the  Prince.  The  ladies  and  the  nurses 
must  go  straight  into  the  chapel.  '  Whatever  was 
necessary  for  the  children's  requirements  could  be 
arranged  in  a  side  chapel." 

Finally,  after  twenty  changes  and  an  epic  fight 
between  the  Chief  Almoner  and  the  Master  of  Cere- 
monies, the  programme  was  settled,  and  was  to  have 
been  printed  at  Fontainebleau,  but  the  time  was  too 
short.  Written  programmes  had  to  suffice.  In- 
vitations were  despatched  to  Princes,  Princesses,  high 
officials,  to  the  Ordinary  and  Extraordinary  officers  of 
every  household  ;  to  Senators,  and  State  Councillors, 
individually ;  all  were  to  be  in  full  costume,  with 
plumed  hats  and  cloaks.  The  ceremony  was  to  take 
place  at  midday  ;  at  half -past  eleven  the  children  were 
to  be  in  the  chapel  with  their  mothers,  and  for  those 
who  had  none,  substitutes  must  be  provided.  The 
chapel  had  been  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  balus- 
trade ;  the  first,  comprising  the  nave,  contained  the 
State  chairs  with  prie-Dieu  for  their  Majesties  ;  the 
second,  converted  into  a  sanctuary,  also  contained 
canopied  chairs  of  State  for  the  Emperor  and  Empress 
as  well  as  an  armchair  for  the  Grand  Almoner,  chairs 


114  FONTAINEBLEAU  [On.  V 

for  the  Cardinals,  and  benches  for  the  Archbishops  and 
Bishops.  Six  feet  in  front  of  the  altar  was  a  table  on 
which  were  placed  the  font  (a  big  silver  gilt  bowl 
found  among  the  Palace  silver),  credences  for  the  gifts, 
and  the  ewer  and  basin. 

As  on  the  most  important  occasions  the  procession 
moved  into  the  icy  chapel  with  its  marble  pavement. 
The  Prince  (second  son  of  Hortense,  who  died  in  1831 
during  the  Insurrection  of  the  Papal  States),  in  charge 
of  his  governess,  immediately  preceded  the  Emperor 
and  Empress,  and  was  placed  on  the  right  of  the 
Imperial  prie-Dieu.  Every  one  was  standing.  The 
Grand  Almoner,  with  his  head  covered,  approached 
the  balustrade  and  asked  the  Emperor,  "  What  child 
are  you  presenting  to  the  Church  ?  "  In  the  reply 
the  number  of  children,  boys  and  girls,  was  stated. 
'  What  names  do  you  give  these  children  ?  ':  The 
Emperor  held  out  the  list  of  names,  to  save  the  situa- 
tion. Many  of  the  children  present  were  but  a  few 
months  old  and  should  have  been  Josephine's  god- 
children and  named  Joseph  or  Josephine,  e.g.  the 
daughters  of  Beauharnais,  Caffarelli,  Defrance,  Le- 
grange,  and  the  sonsof  Becker,  Colbert,  Curial,  Duchatel, 
Maret,  Turenne.  This  silent  list  averted  awkward 
reminiscences. 

Facing  each  child  the  Grand  Almoner  proceeded 
with  the  preparatory  ceremonies,  whereupon  their 
Majesties  entered  the  Sanctuary  and  sat  upon  their 
chairs  of  State  opposite  the  font.  The  children,  led 
or  carried  by  their  mothers,  were  placed  right  and  left. 
The  lady-in-waiting  uncovered  the  Prince's  head  and 


CANOVA  115 

went  with  him  to  the  font,  which  was  the  signal  for  each 
mother  to  do  the  same  for  her  child.  After  the  Mass 
and  the  Benediction,  the  Grand  Chamberlain  and  the 
Grand  Marshal  served  their  Majesties  for  the  cere- 
monial washing.  After  the  Bishops  had  done  homage 
the  procession  formed  again  and  returned  to  the  draw- 
ing-room, where  the  Empress  presented  the  mothers 
with  lockets  containing  the  portraits  of  the  Emperor 
by  Isabey,  surrounded  with  brilliants,  worth  from  six 
to  eight  thousand  francs  each.  In  the  evening, 
L'Enlevement  des  Sabines  was  performed  and  a  Court 
reception  held  in  the  State  apartments. 

This  ceremony  celebrated  the  declaration  of  the 
pregnancy,  which  the  Emperor  notified  officially  to 
the  Senate  and  the  Emperor  of  Austria.  He  was 
really  in  love  with  the  Empress,  and  was  foolishly 
lavish  to  any  one  who  assisted  in  displaying  her  beauty. 
Duplan,  for  instance,  for  whose  posterity  was  reserved 
such  strange  destinies  and  who  was  alone,  in  Napoleon's 
opinion,  capable  of  dressing  the  Empress's  hair,  re- 
ceived a  present  of  12,000  frs.  over  and  above  his 
salary  of  12,000  frs.  and  6000  frs.  pension.  Canova 
was  summoned  to  make  a  statue  of  Marie-Louise,  for 
which  he  was  given  30,000  frs.  Napoleon  did  every- 
thing in  his  power  to  obliterate  traces  of  his  first  wife's 
existence.  Her  figure  was  removed  from  David's 
Distribution  des  Aigles  ;  he  would  have  liked  to  take 
it  out  of  Regnault's  Mariage  du  Roi  de  Westphalie. 
Josephine's  monogram  was  removed  from  the  great 
and  small  apartments  of  the  Tuileries. 

The  Grand  Marshal  occupied  an  apartment  next 


116  FONTAINEBLEAU  [On.  V 

to  that  of  the  Empress,  but  was  moved  in  order  to 
give  more  room  for  the  wardrobe  apartments.  The 
Emperor  overwhelmed  her  with  small  attentions,  and 
the  Theatre  des  Petits  Appartements,  where  the  Opera 
Comique  was  usually  given,  was  designed  to  enliven 
her  Majesty.  Furthermore,  she  followed  the  chase  in 
the  forest  of  Vincennes,  in  the  plain  of  Freminville, 
in  the  forest  of  St.  Germain,  and  in  all  the  environs 
of  Paris  to  which  the  Emperor  betook  himself  for 
hunting,  until  the  time  arrived  when  the  state  of  her 
health  prevented  her  driving  in  a  carriage,  she  had 
then  to  content  herself  with  walking  on  the  terrace 
beside  the  water,  followed  by  her  ladies  and  the  officers 
and  pages.  Sometimes,  as  on  March  10,  the  Empress 
walked  for  an  hour  in  the  garden,  when  the  paths, 
terraces,  and  avenues  were  thronged  with  an  immense 
crowd,  attracted  by  the  hope  of  seeing  her.  After 
that  the  Emperor  ordered  his  architect  Fontaine  to 
construct  an  underground  passage,  to  connect  the 
apartments  in  the  castle  with  the  terrace,  without 
obstructing  the  public.  Everything  was  prepared, 
down  to  the  barrels  for  supplying  wine  to  the  fountain 
in  the  Place  du  Chatelet.  "  This  device  was  not  to 
be  announced  beforehand,  but  was  to  appear  un- 
expectedly." Pages  were  to  be  sent  to  announce  the 
event  to  the  Municipal  Body.  If  a  Prince  should 
arrive,  the  lucky  messenger  would  receive  a  pension 
of  ten  thousand  francs  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  Cardinal 
Maury  became  agitated  over  the  mandate  he  was  to 
deliver  and  begged  for  the  order  of  the  ceremonial  to 
be  communicated  to  him.  Of  more  importance  still 


BIRTH  OF  A  SON  117 

was  the  Virgin's  shirt.  Since  the  ninth  century  the 
church  of  Notre-Dame  de  Chartres  had  possessed  a 
relic  of  the  Virgin  deposited  there  by  Charles  the  Bald. 
This  relic  was  to  be  exposed  with  great  solemnity 
throughout  the  prayers  which  were  to  be  offered  up 
for  her  Majesty's  happy  delivery.  On  March  14  the 
Chapter,  headed  by  the  Bishop  of  Versailles,  presented 
the  Empress  with  a  facsimile  of  this  precious  relic  in 
embroidered  satin,  for  it  had  been  the  immemorial 
custom  to  send  six  deputies  with  a  similar  copy  to 
the  Queens  and  Dauphines  upon  their  first  confine- 
ment. 

On  March  19  the  labour  pains  began.  On  the  20th 
the  baby  was  born  and  privately  baptised.  On  the 
21st  the  Emperor,  seated  on  his  throne,  received  the 
homage  of  the  Court ;  on  the  22nd,  the  homage  of  the 
"  Grand  Corps  de  1'Etat,"  to  whom  his  Majesty  the  King 
of  Rome  gave  audience  ;  on  the  24th  there  was  a  grand 
parade  in  the  Cour  des  Tuileries  ;  on  the  25th  the  last 
bulletin  was  published,  to  the  effect  that  her  Majesty  the 
Empress  had  safely  passed  through  all  complications. 
Everything  had  already  been  prepared  for  the  removal 
of  the  young  mother  to  Saint-Cloud,  which  took  place 
exactly  a  month  after  her  confinement.  From  May  9 
the  Empress  followed  the  chase  in  her  carriages,  until 
on  May  14,  as  though  completely  recovered,  she  left 
for  Rainbouillet,  which  she  left  on  the  22nd  for 
Normandy.  By  five  o'clock  the  company  were  in 
their  carriages ;  dejeuner  was  taken  at  the  Chateau 
de  Tubceuf  with  Comte  de  Lillers  (Chamberlain  since 
the  great  promotion),  a  halt  was  made  to  inspect  the 


118  JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG       [Cn.  V 

Pin  stables  ;  the  party  slept  at  Caen,  where  the  Hotels 
d'Aigrefeuille  and  de  Fresne,  in  the  Rue  Guilbert,  had 
been  combined  to  provide  a  palace.  M.  de  Nathan, 
formerly  Marquis,  commanded  the  Mounted  Guard  of 
Honour. 

All  went  well,  there  were  neither  benefits  nor 
favours,  scarcely  any  audiences,  save  for  the  old 
nobility.  M.  de  Courville  commanded  the  foot 
guards  ;  M.  de  Vandceuvre  presided  over  the  Electoral 
College ;  and  M.  Lentaigne  de  Logiviere  was  Mayor  of 
Caen.  Smiles,  presents,  and  pensions  were  pressed 
upon  them,  thirty-seven  ladies  of  Caen  were  pre- 
sented, but  all  of  these  had  the  prefix  "  de  "  ;  only 
gentlemen  were  admitted  to  the  levee  on  the  25th. 
Money,  indeed,  was  liberally  bestowed  on  the  poor 
at  Houdan,  Dreux,  Laigle,  Argentan,  and  at  Falaise. 
Caen,  for  example,  received  20,000  frs.  for  the  hospitals, 
100,000  frs.  were  allotted  to  the  victims  of  the  fires 
at  Evrechy  and  700,000  for  the  canal  from  Caen  to 
the  sea.  Everywhere,  as  far  as  Cherbourg,  the  same 
liberality  prevailed.  An  inexhaustible  stream  of  gold 
flowed  from  the  hands  of  the  Emperor  ;  gold,  however, 
is  not  everything,  and  the  bourgeois  knew  it. 

Marie-Louise  appeared  haughty,  bored,  and  silent, 
in  the  mocking  Norman  phrase  a  "  tete  de  bois"  She 
could  not  find  a  word  to  say  to  the  officials,  nor  a 
smile  for  the  little  girls  who  offered  her  flowers.  She 
took  part  languidly  in  the  receptions,  balls,  and 
promenades,  while  her  lady-in-waiting  distributed 
the  necessary  gifts,  like  an  alms,  in  a  dry  contemptu- 
ous voice.  The  Empress  only  relaxed  at  Cherbourg, 


CAEN 

and  even  then  not  at  the  performances  given  by 
Feydeau's  company,  but  in  excursions  with  the 
Emperor,  when  visiting  the  ships  or  the  shore  or 
when  in  rough  horseplay  he  treated  her  as  a  comrade. 

But  granting  that  she  seemed  to  be  inert  and 
incapable  of  making  herself  agreeable,  might  it  not 
have  been  in  consequence  of  the  imprudence  of 
undertaking  this  journey  in  which  she  desired  to 
accompany  her  husband  though  hardly  recovered 
from  her  confinement  rather  than  to  her  timidity  and 
disposition  ?  The  fatigue  she  endured  was  apparent 
from  her  emaciation,  for  she  insisted  on  going  about 
with  the  Emperor,  and  the  Emperor  was  indefatigable. 
On  several  occasions  they  started  at  four  in  the  morn- 
ing. On  the  first  day  they  travelled  for  nineteen 
hours,  from  four  in  the  morning  to  eleven  at  night. 
Twice  the  stages  of  their  journey  lasted  twelve  hours. 
This  was  nothing  in  comparison  with  the  1808  tour 
from  which  Josephine,  with  all  her  strength  and 
powers  of  resistance,  escaped  with  only  a  serious 
illness  ;  but  Marie-Louise  was  a  very  young  woman, 
exhausted  by  her  confinement.  They  were  no  sooner 
back  from  Cherbourg  than  the  rush  began  again, 
intensified,  doubled  and  trebled,  for  the  baptism  of 
the  King  of  Rome. 

On  June  8-9  several  State  functions  were  held,  also 
a  kind  of  Imperial  fete  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville  ;  followed 
by  a  series  of  fetes  at  Saint-Cloud  for  the  army,  the 
people,  and  the  Court.  The  last  took  place  in  a 
terrific  storm,  which  drenched  everything,  including 
the  spectators,  from  head  to  foot,  likewise  the  tents 


120  JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG      [On.  V 

under  which  they  were  to  sup,  and  finally  the  dishes 
that  were  to  have  been  served  to  them. 

From  Saint-Cloud  they  went  on  to  Trianon.  The 
mistress  of  the  robes  wrote  : 

"  I  arrived  at  Trianon  about  nine  o'clock,  just 
when  they  were  sitting  down  to  table,  but  as  their 
Majesties  were  dining  at  the  Hameau  and  walked 
about  until  they  retired,  we,  Madame  de  Brignole, 
Madame  de  Lobau.  and  I,  were  forgotten  in  the 
salon  de  service  the  whole  evening." 

After  having  spent  a  week  at  Trianon,  and  a  week 
at  Rambouillet,  they  returned  to  Saint-Cloud  and 
proceeded  to  Paris  for  the  Emperor's  birthday.  On 
the  25th,  however,  they  were  back  at  Trianon,  in 
order  that  the  Emperor  might  concentrate  his  energies 
on  the  birthday  of  the  Empress.  Accordingly,  after 
Mass,  their  Majesties  drove  through  the  park  where 
all  the  fountains  were  playing.  In  the  evening,  after 
a  very  uninteresting  day,  the  guests  arrived  punctually 
at  eight  o'clock,  the  men  in  silk  clothes,  the  ladies  in 
short  dresses  ;  they  waited  in  the  salons  and  in  the 
gallery  of  the  State  room,  where  the  heat  was  so  great 
that  several  ladies  fainted.  At  half-past  nine  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  came  out  of  their  private  room 
and  held  a  reception,  after  which  every  one  retired  to 
the  gardens.  The  illuminated  'parterres  were  duly 
admired,  and  then  every  one  adjourned  to  the  theatre 
to  see  Les  Prqjets  de  Mariage  and  La  Grande  Famillet 
an  incredibly  silly  topical  trifle  of  M.  Alissan  de 
Chazet.  After  this  the  company  proceeded  along  a 


BAD  HEALTH  121 

course  marked  out  with  lamps,  coloured  glasses,  and 
burning  faggots,  to  hear  a  cantata  at  the  Pavilion 
Fran9ais,  and  to  see  a  roundabout  manned  by  children 
in  Chinese  costume,  a  children's  dance  round  the 
statue  of  Venus  and  an  act  out  of  the  Opera,  con- 
sisting of  a  country  wedding,  clowns,  acrobats, 
peasants,  dances  and  games.  Afterwards  supper  was 
served  on  little  tables  at  the  Grand  Trianon. 

From  Trianon  they  went  to  Compiegne,  where 
Marie-Louise  had  the  pleasure  of  following  coursing 
on  horseback.  Her  health,  however,  had  not  im- 
proved, and  she  suffered  from  frequent  chills  and 
fever.  As  she  refused  to  be  separated  from  her 
husband,  she  would  not  admit  she  was  ill  and  con- 
tinued to  live  the  strange  timeless  existence  in  which 
Napoleon,  lord  of  the  hour,  declined  to  admit  that 
he  could  be  its  slave. 

:i  The  Emperor  is  to  leave  to-night,"  wrote  Segur, 
on  September  1,  "the  Empress  on  Saturday,  about 
two  hours  after  midnight.  .  .  .  We  are  to  rejoin  the 
Emperor  at  Antwerp  and  then  to  visit  Utrecht, 
Amsterdam,  Le  Texel,  Alkmaer,  The  Hague,  Eotter- 
dam,  Flushing,  and  Fontainebleau.  ...  I  have  seen 
no  journey  arranged  and  published  beforehand  as  this 
has  been.  There  will  have  to  be  some  alterations  in 
the  dates  unless  things  have  changed  considerably." 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  JOURNEY  OF   1811 

THIS  journey  can  only  be  understood  by  comparing 
the  Emperor's  itinerary  from  September  19-30,  1811. 

Sept.  19.  Departure  from  Compiegne,  3.30  a.m.  Ar- 
rival at  Montreuii,  4  p.m.  Review  at 
Boulogne,  8  p.m.,  where  he  slept. 

„  20.  Boulogne :  Review.  Visit  to  the  Fleet. 
By  sea  to  Wimereux  and  Ambleteuse. 

„  21.  Boulogne:  Review. 

,,  22.  Boulogne  :  Reviews  and  Inspections.  De- 
parture for  Calais,  Dunkirk,  Fumes  at 
midnight. 

,,23.  Departure  from  Fumes,  1  a.m.  Arrival  at 
Ostend,  3  p.m.  Review.  Visit  to  the 
town.  Breske,  6  p.m. 

„  24.  Visit  to  the  fortifications  of  He  de  Cadzeaud 
and  the  squadron  lying  ofi  Flushing. 
Slept  on  board  the  Charlemagne. 

„  25-26.  On  board  the  Charlemagne. 

„  27.  At  Flushing  :  Reception  of  Authorities. 
Visit  to  the  Works. 

„  28.  From  Flushing  to  Middelburg  and  Veere. 

„  29.  From  Flushing  up  the  Scheldt  again,  arrival 
at  Antwerp,  1  a.m. 

„  30.  At  Antwerp,  audiences.    Arrival  of  Marie- 
Louise  from  Brussels  at  4  o'clock. 
122 


COMPIEGNE— PIERREFONDS  123 

Although  Marie-Louise  kept  no  journal  of  her 
travels  in  1811,  she  made  ample  amends  for  this 
hiatus  in  a  series  of  confidential  letters. 

Their  Majesties  reached  Compiegne  on  August  30, 
1811,  and  their  arrival  coincided  with  the  death  of 
General  Ordener,  the  Governor  of  the  Palace.  In 
spite  of  a  slight  attack  of  biliousness  and  a  nervous 
chill  which  affected  her  hands  and  feet,  her  Majesty 
mounted  her  horse  to  follow  the  chase,  and  was  present 
at  the  Comedie.  With  his  usual  punctiliousness  on 
points  of  etiquette,  the  Emperor  laid  down  the 
strictest  injunctions  as  to  presentations  and  cere- 
monial for  State  functions.  He  departed  on  the  night 
of  the  18th  at  3  a.m.  In  the  afternoon  the  Empress 
made  a  long  expedition  to  Pierrefonds.  "  Some  fine 
ruins  were  there  with  which  I  was  not  acquainted, 
and  the  part  of  the  forest  which  led  to  them  was  most 
sombre,  almost  rivalling  the  ruin  in  antiquity."  Thus 
wrote  Madame  de  Lu9ay  to  her  husband.  The  Empress 
subsequently  wrote  to  the  Emperor,  who  had  already 
reached  Boulogne : 

"  Compiegne,  Sept.  19,  1811. 

"  I  am  very  sad,  my  dear,  to  think  that 
instead  of  talking  to  you  I  must  have  recourse  to  my 
pen,  and  it  needs  all  my  courage  not  to  give  way 
entirely  to  the  sorrow  your  departure  causes  me ;  at 
this  moment  I  am  more  than  fifty  leagues  from  you, 
and  each  day  will  increase  the  distance  between  us. 
You  cannot  imagine  the  feelings  I  have  when  I  pass 
by  your  room  and  see  the  windows  and  shutters 
closed.  You  must  love  as  I  love  you  to  understand  this. 


124  THE  JOURNEY  OF  1811        [On.  VI 

I  beg  you,  dear  one,  to  be  careful  of  your  health.  If, 
to  the  uneasiness  I  feel,  were  added  the  anxiety  of 
knowing  that  you  were  ill,  I  could  not  bear  it. 

'  Your  son  is  well.  I  have  just  come  from  him. 
Madame  de  Montesquiou  said  that  as  (I)  was  giving 
you  news  of  him,  she  would  not  trouble  you  with  a 
letter.  I  intend  to  leave  on  Saturday  at  four  o'clock, 
and  hope  to  reach  Brussels  about  midnight.  I  have 
not  yet  written  to  Princess  Pauline  who  wanted  to  go 
there  too,  because  I  did  not  know  if  you  would  like 
it.  I  beg  you  to  send  me  your  decision.  In  half  an 
hour  I  shall  be  going  to  the  play,  while  all  my  thoughts 
will  be  at  Boulogne. 

"  Send  me  news  of  you  very  often.  I  love  you  very 
tenderly.  Do  not  forget  her  who  calls  herself  till 
death, 

"  Your  tender  and  affectionate  wife  and  friend, 

"  LOUISE." 

The  Comedie,  that  evening,  performed  for  her 
Majesty,  Le  Parleur  Contrarie  with  Dumas,  Baptiste 
senior,  Thenard,  Devigny,  Baptiste  junior,  Mmes. 
Mars  and  Demerson  in  the  cast ;  and  Les  Heretierrs 
with  Devigny,  Michot,  Baptiste  junior, '  Armand, 
Laeair,  Thenard,  Mmes.  Thenard  and  Mars.  The 
impression  made  on  Marie-Louise  is  recorded  in  her 
letter  of  the  20th. 

"Comptegne,  Sept.  20,  1811. 

"  I  am  waiting  with  great  impatience,  my  dear, 
for  news  of  your  arrival  at  Boulogne.  By  this  time 
you  must  be  very  busy  with  the  fleet  and  with  your 
troops,  and  I  greatly  fear  that  your  Army  may  make 


THE   EMPRESS   MARIE-LOUISE. 
(From  a  miniature  in  the  possession  of  Sir  Morgan  Crofton,  Bart.) 


PRINCE  SCHWARZENBERG  125 

you  forget  your  tender  Louise,  whereas  I,  who  am  all 
alone,  think  of  you  incessantly.  I  feel  our  separation 
much  more.  The  day  that  I  receive  your  first  letter 
will  be  a  day  of  happiness  for  me,  but  I  shall  be  yet 
more  happy  when  you  give  me  the  order  to  rejoin  you. 
I  reckon  the  hours  and  minutes  to  that  moment. 

"  I  am  well,  so  is  your  son  who  lay  laughing  to-day 
for  more  than  half  an  hour  on  my  bed.  He  slept  well, 
but  he  is  a  little  pale  as  he  is  cutting  his  teeth. 

"  We  are  beginning  to  have  very  bad  weather.  I 
offer  prayers  that  it  may  not  continue,  as  I  fear  the 
adverse  winds  may  keep  you  longer  on  board  your 
squadron  than  I  could  wish  ;  but  take  care,  my  dear 
one,  for  at  the  end  of  the  week  I  charge  you  to  let  me 
come  to  you,  be  it  even  in  the  costume  of  a  page  or  on 
horseback,  no  matter  what,  so  long  as  I  see  you  again. 

"  Prince  Schwarzenberg  left  this  morning  over- 
whelmed with  your  kindness,  of  which  he  spoke  last 
night  with  great  appreciation. 

"  I  went  to  the  play  where  two  very  gay  pieces 
were  given,  but  far  from  making  me  laugh,  they 
produced  quite  the  opposite  effect ! 

"  I  made  an  expedition  yesterday  with  the  ladies 
to  Pierrefonds,  but  did  not  enjoy  it  for  you  were  not 
with  me.  To-day  I  shall  receive  all  the  persons  con- 
nected with  this  journey  to  say  '  good-bye  '  to  them, 
and  to-morrow  I  shall  go  to  Laeken. 

"  I  beg  you,  my  dear  one,  to  write  to  me  soon  and 
at  great  length.  I  embrace  you  most  tenderly  in  my 
thoughts,  and  am  longing  to  tell  you  in  person  how 
greatly  I  love  and  cherish  you. 

"  Your  very  affectionate  and  faithful  wife, 

"  LOUISE." 


126  THE  JOURNEY  OF  1811         [On.  VI 

The  Empress  duly  set  out  on  the  21st. 

'  The  Grand  Chamberlain  and  Beam,  Cornelissen, 
Saint-Aignan,  Canouville,  Phillipe  de  Segur  and 
Mesdames  Lauriston,  Aldobrandini,  Brignoles,  MM. 
d'Heri9ey  and  Beauharnais,  all  accompanied  the 
Empress  to  Laeken.  Undoubtedly  we  shall  make  no 
stay  there,  seeing  that  the  Emperor  has  forty-eight 
hours'  start  of  us.  The  talk  is  all  of  Amsterdam," 
wrote  Segur. 

When  they  had  safely  arrived,  the  Empress  wrote  : 

"  Laeken,  Sept.  22,  at  1  in  the  morning. 

"  MY  DEAR  ONE  (Mon  cher  ami), 

"  I  have  just  arrived  at  Laeken  and  am  not  in 
the  least  tired  after  the  journey ;  we  were  not  too  hot, 
but  the  dust  was  frightful,  such  as  I  have  never 
seen  before.  Your  kind  letter  arrived  too  late  for 
me  to  be  able  to  execute  your  orders.  I  asked  the 
gentlemen  if  it  would  be  possible  to  remain  at  Valen- 
ciennes. They  told  me  that  it  was  too  late  to  make 
the  necessary  arrangements.  I  will  reply  to  you  at 
greater  length  to-morrow.  I  embrace  you  thousands 
and  thousands  of  times  and  am  going  to  bed.  My 
last  thought  as  I  fall  asleep  will  be  of  you. 

"  Your  tender  and  faithful  wife, 

"  LOUISE." 

They  had  indeed  arrived,  but  after  what  adven- 
tures ! 

;<  The  fast  coach  of  the  Martins  and  the  Lisettes 
broke  down  as  soon  as  it  left  Compiegne,"  wrote 
Segur.  "  The  ladies  implored  me  to  give  them  the 


COMPIEGNE   TO  LAEKEN  127 

men-servants  of  the  Castle  as  waiting-maids ;  the 
plate-waggon  had  broken  down  mid-way  on  the 
journey ;  Bausset  was  in  despair,  furious  at  his 
lodging,  but  unable  to  find  any  one  to  complain  to, 
for  we  arrived  at  two  in  the  morning,  and  despite  the 
remarkable  figure  of  our  prefet,  every  one  was  so 
occupied  with  his  own  affairs  and  with  the  ladies  that 
he  was  not  noticed.  Besides,  I  had  all  the  lights  put 
out  quickly  so  that  peevish  people  might  get  to  bed 
without  making  comparisons  between  their  own  lot 
and  that  of  others." 

Marie-Louise  had  a  pleasanter  journey  than  her 
Lisettes.    She  wrote : 

"  Laeken,  Sept.  22,  1811,  at  4  o'clock. 

"  MY  DEAR  ONE, 

"I  was  delightfully  surprised  on  waking  to 
find  a  letter  from  you.  You  must  know  how  happy 
I  always  am  to  get  your  letters,  since  I  see  that 
you  think  of  me  sometimes.  The  letter  you  wrote 
on  the  evening  of  the  19th  only  reached  me  as  I 
left  Compiegne.  This  delay  annoyed  me  very  much, 
for  it  prevented  me  from  carrying  out  your  wishes 
about  my  journey.  I  assure  you,  my  love,  that  I 
have  not  been  over  tired  and  that  I  slept  without 
waking  from  Mons,  where  I  dined,  to  Laeken.  I  pity 
you  if  you  have  a  dust  like  this  on  your  journey  for  it 
is  as  black  as  coal.  Still  I  have  not  coughed  at  all, 
and  am  so  little  fatigued  that,  if  I  could  and  dared 
rejoin  you,  I  would  start  again  at  once.  I  implore 
you  not  to  forget  your  promise  to  be  with  me  at  the 
end  of  the  week. 


128  THE  JOURNEY  OF  1811         [On.  VI 

"  The  time  passes  very  slowly  without  you,  and  if 
this  separation  were  to  last  many  more  days  I  should 
become  ill  with  sorrow. 

"  To-morrow  I  shall  receive  the  authorities  and 
the  ladies  and  in  the  evening  I  shall  go  to  the  play. 
I  will  try  to  be  charming  since  this  gives  you  pleasure, 
but  it  will  be  difficult  for  me  when  my  heart  is  so 
heavy. 

"  Don't  forget  to  give  me  the  money  you  have 
promised  me,  for  I  shall  need  it  at  Brussels. 

"  I  hope  you  will  not  go  chasing  the  English  a 
second  time.  Since  then  I  wish  them  more  ill  than 
ever,  for  they  were  the  cause  of  detaining  you  another 
day,  and  will  perhaps  still  keep  you  some  days  at 
Boulogne ;  but  if  you  break  your  promises  to  me  I 
shall  not  forgive  you  so  quickly.  Please  let  me  have 
news  of  you  regularly,  and  be  sure  I  shall  not  let  a 
day  pass  without  writing  to  you,  and  without  giving 
you  an  account  of  all  my  actions.  Adieu,  my  dear 
one,  I  pray  that  your  health  may  not  suffer  from  the 
fatigues  of  your  journey  and  that  I  may  soon  have 
the  happiness  of  embracing  you  in  person. 

"  Your  faithful  and  tender  wife, 

"  LOUISE." 

Next  day  she  wrote  : 

"Laeken,  Sept.  23,  at  11 J  in  the  morning. 

"  MY  DEAR  ONE, 

"  You  always  provide  me  with  a  charming 
awakening.  At  half-past  nine  to-day  I  received  your 
kind  letter  of  the  22nd.  I  saw  with  pleasure  that  you 
were  leaving  for  Ostend,  accordingly  I  may  have  news 
of  you  more  rapidly.  A  thousand  pardons  if  I  vexed 


HER   WISH  TO  PLEASE  NAPOLEON    129 

you  by  saying  that  you  were  forgetting  me  in  the 
midst  of  military  operations.  I  realise,  love,  that  I 
reproached  you  very  unjustly,  nevertheless,  I  believe 
you  could  never  think  of  me  as  much  as  I  think  of 
you,  for  my  mind  is  occupied  with  you  day  and  night. 
I  am  wonderfully  well.  Yesterday  I  took  a  pretty 
drive  in  the  environs  of  Laeken.  To-day  before  dinner 
I  shall  receive  the  authorities  and  the  ladies  and  then 
shall  go  to  the  play.  For  dinner  I  have  invited  Mme. 
d'Ursel,  Mme.  d'Arenberg,  Mme.  de  la  Tour  du  Pin, 
and  the  Commandant  of  the  Guard  of  Honour,  who 
is  the  husband  of  Mme.  de  Trasegnies.  I  have  also 
received  Mme.  de  Croix,  who  has  arrived,  and  Mme.  de 
Mun  the  wife  of  the  Chamberlain,  who  was  suggested 
to  me  by  M.  de  Montesquieu,  because  she  is  the  wife 
of  the  Mayor.  Please  write  and  tell  me  if  I  am  to 
receive  Mme.  de  Cornelissen,  who  is  the  only  chamber- 
lain's wife  who  has  not  yet  made  her  curtsey.  This 
evening  I  shall  wear  a  rose-coloured  gown  because  I 
know  you  like  it,  and  I  love  to  please  you  from  afar. 
Adieu,  my  love,  I  embrace  you  many  times  in  thought, 
and  promise  you  to  be  so  amiable  to  the  Belgians, 
that  you  will  have  reason  to  be  pleased  with  me. 
"  Your  tender  and  faithful  friend  and  wife, 

"  LOUISE." 

She  herself  describes  her  journey  on  the  23rd  : 

"  Chateau  de  Laeken,  Sept.  24,  at  10  in  the  morning. 

"MY  DEAR  ONE, 

"  How  happy  I  am  to  see  by  your  charming 
letter  of  this  morning  that  you  are  so  near  me ;  I 
now  desire  nothing  more  fervently  than  to  receive 


130  THE  JOURNEY  OF  1811  [On.  VI 

the  despatch  in  which  you  tell  me  to  rejoin  you.  I 
shall  then  make  great  haste.  I  am  much  more  at  ease 
now  that  I  know  that  you  are  well.  Do  not  be  uneasy, 
my  dear  ;  the  dust  has  not  done  me  the  slightest  harm 
and  I  did  not  get  catarrh.  Now  all  danger  from  the 
dust  is  over,  for  rain  has  fallen  in  torrents  all  the 
afternoon. 

"  Yesterday  very  few  ladies  came  to  my  reception. 
Most  of  them  are  in  the  country  or  laid  up,  but  those 
who  came  to  be  presented  to  me  had  good  manners 
and  were  well  dressed. 

"  Yesterday  I  went  to  the  play  where  they  gave 
Felix  and  La  Melomanie.  I  have  never  seen  a  worse 
performance.  They  sang  out  of  tune  and  acted  very 
badly,  but  to-morrow  Talma  is  to  play  in  Andromaque. 
In  the  evening  I  shall  have  a  concert  and  card  games. 
The  misery  among  manufacturers  is  excessive,  and 
they  have  been  obliged  to  discharge  two-thirds  of 
their  workmen ;  they  are  doing  no  business  at  all. 
The  Prefet  told  me  of  this  in  such  a  manner  that  I 
could  not  help  promising  to  make  many  purchases. 
I  hope  you  will  be  so  good  as  to  pay  for  them,  for 
travelling  is  ruinous  to  one's  clothes  and  one's  finances. 
They  told  me  that  before  I  arrived  the  work-women 
prayed  to  God  for  three  days  that  I  would  relieve 
their  misery,  for  otherwise  they  would  have  no  bread 
this  winter.  Among  other  articles  they  have  made, 
two  coverlets  were  brought  to  me,  but  they  are  too 
expensive.  I  sent  them  word  that  these  must  be 
kept  until  I  was  brought  to  bed  with  my  second  son, 
and  you  know  that  I  am  in  no  great  haste  for  his 
arrival.  Yesterday  I  received  tidings  of  your  son 
who  has  arrived  quite  safely  at  Saint-Cloud  with  his 


IMPRESSION  OF  THE  BELGIANS      131 

accustomed  gaiety.  Adieu,  dear  love,  I  hope  the 
weather  will  clear  up  again  so  as  not  to  delay  the 
moment  when  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you. 
I  write  from  my  bed  in  which  I  am  resting,  because 
I  know  you  are  pleased  when  I  do  so. 
'  Your  faithful  and  affectionate  wife  and  friend, 

"  MAEIE-LOUISE." 

What  impression  did  the  Empress  make  upon  the 
public  who  saw  her  at  the  play  ?  She  arrived 
punctually  at  eight  o'clock,  in  very  full  dress,  which 
consisted  of  a  high  diadem  of  jewels,  sprays  of  the 
same,  and  a  diamond  necklace.  The  front  of  her 
pink  satin  gown  was  embroidered  with  diamonds, 
and  on  the  left  side  with  coloured  stones  imitating  a 
shaded  bouquet.  When  she  made  three  curtseys  on 
reaching  the  front  of  the  box,  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
Belgians  became  delirious,  also  on  another  occasion 
when  she  appeared  at  the  play  with  a  bouquet  of 
tulips  in  her  hand,  there  was  a  fight  for  the  scattered 
petals.  All  went  well  so  long  as  she  was  not  obliged 
to  speak,  but  she  was  less  successful  in  the  drawing- 
room. 

Mme.  de  la  Tour  de  Pin,  wife  of  the  Prefet  de  la 
Dyle,  wrote : 

'  We  were  invited  to  Laeken  every  day  to  spend 
the  evening  and  play  Loto,  which  lasted  for  about  a 
week  and  was  very  tiresome.  The  Empress  was  dull 
to  a  degree  and  her  demeanour  never  varied.  Each 
day  she  made  the  same  remark  asking  me  to  feel  her 
pulse  :  'Do  you  think  I  am  feverish  ?  '  I  invariably 


132  THE  JOURNEY  OF  1811        [On.  VI 

replied :  '  Madame,  I  know  nothing  about  it.'  A 
few  men  came  in  to  make  a  little  conversation  while 
we  were  taking  tea,  among  others,  Marechal  Mortier 
and  M.  de  Beam.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  Due  d'Ursel 
in  his  capacity  of  Mayor,  to  suggest  the  morning's 
excursion  according  to  the  weather.  One  day  when 
visiting  the  Museum,  Marie-Louise  appeared  to  notice 
a  fine  portrait  of  her  illustrious  grandmother,  Maria- 
Theresa.  The  Due  d'Ursel  proposed  that  it  should 
be  placed  in  her  drawing-room  at  Laeken,  but  she 
replied  :  '  Oh  !  certainly  not ;  the  frame  is  too  old.' 
On  another  occasion  he  suggested  as  an  interesting 
place  to  visit,  that  part  of  the  forest  of  Soignies  that  is 
known  by  the  name  of  the  pilgrimage  of  the  Arch- 
Duchesse  Isabelle,  whose  saintliness  and  goodness  are 
cherished  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  She  replied 
that  she  did  not  care  for  woods." 

Marie-Louise  made  the  same  impression  on  every 
one.  Mme.  de  Merode  emerged  from  her  retreat  to 
appear  at  the  Empress'  dinner.  (She  was  afraid  of 
horses  to  which  she  was  not  accustomed,  and  had  had 
a  bay  horse  dyed  black  to  match  one  of  her  own.) 
This  Mme.  de  Merode  remarked :  "  The  Princess,  who 
was  very  young  at  the  time  and  had  been  brought  up 
very  quietly,  like  all  the  Arch-Duchesses,  had  very 
little  self-possession  and  knowledge  of  the  world ; 
she  appeared  timid  and  embarrassed."  At  dinner, 
she  sat  on  the  right  of  the  State  chair  prepared  for  the 
Emperor  ;  Mme.  de  Merode  on  the  left.  Would  not 
that  be  enough  to  petrify  a  bourgeois  dinner,  even 
more  an  Imperial  party  ?  It  was  not  only  a  question 
of  these  Belgian  guests,  there  were  other  people  there. 


PAULINE'S  UNREASONABLENESS      133 

"  Laeken,  Sept.  26,  6|  after  dinner. 


DEAR  ONE, 

"  I  have  this  instant  returned  from  Brussels, 
where  I  have  been  to  see  the  Cathedral  Church  and 
the  lace  manufactories,  and  as  an  express  messenger 
is  setting  out,  I  hasten  to  write  to  you  to  tell  you  I 
am  very  well  and  constantly  thinking  of  you.  Princess 
Pauline  arrived  at  Brussels  in  the  morning  of  the  day 
before  yesterday.  She  did  not  inform  me  of  her 
arrival.  I  sent  very  early  yesterday  morning  to 
inquire  after  her,  but  received  no  reply.  Finally  she 
announced  her  arrival  and  asked  me  for  news  of  you. 
I  wrote  to  her  this  morning  to  ask  for  hers  and  to  tell 
her  what  I  knew  of  you.  She  replied  she  was  too 
unwell  to  leave  her  bed,  that  she  was  so  ill  she  could 
not  come  to  see  me  and  was  very  badly  lodged  at  the 
inn.  I  thought  you  would  not  object  to  my  suggest- 
ing that  she  should  come  here  to  live  with  me.  An 
hour  later  I  sent  a  chamberlain  to  her,  who  returned 
with  the  answer  that  she  had  left  for  Antwerp.  I 
send  you  all  these  details  because  I  was  told  that  she 
declined  to  receive  the  persons  of  my  suite  and  was 
angry  with  me.  She  refused  to  admit  Prince  Aldo- 
brandini,  and  I  fear  that,  as  she  will  see  you  before  I 
do,  she  will  say  I  have  been  impolite  to  her,  so  I 
prefer  to  tell  you  myself  what  I  have  done.  I  acted 
moreover  on  the  advice  of  M.  de  Montesquieu  and 
consulted  him  before  inviting  her  to  stay  with  me, 
he  strongly  endorsed  my  suggestion  and  is  as  aston- 
ished as  I  am  at  her  conduct. 

"  Please  forgive  me  for  wearying  you  with  these 
trifles,  but  being  so  afraid  lest  you  should  scold  me 
or  be  displeased,  I  preferred  to  tell  you  the  whole 


134  THE  JOURNEY  OF  1811  [On.  VI 

story.  I  hope  you  think  of  me  sometimes  in  spite  of 
your  numerous  engagements.  I  embrace  you  many 
times  and  am  going  to  dress,  for  I  am  dining  an  hour 
earlier  on  account  of  the  fete. 

'  Your  faithful  and  tender  wife, 

"  MARIE-LOUISE." 

This  strange  episode  of  Princess  Pauline's  journey 
to  Brussels  remained  unknown  to  the  gazetteers,  and 
her  journey  to  Antwerp  alone  was  mentioned.  There 
can,  however,  be  no  doubt  about  it;  Marie-Louise 
wrote  on  the  26th  : 

"  Laeken,  Sept.  26,  at  9J,  morning. 

"  MY  DEAR  ONE, 

'  Yesterday  I  received  your  kind  letter  of  the 
24th  which  distressed  me  very  much,  because  I  see 
from  it  that  you  were  tired  and  wet  through.  I 
beseech  you,  my  love,  to  spare  yourself  a  little  more. 
You  can  hardly  believe  how  much  your  mode  of  life 
disturbs  me  and  torments  me ;  should  I  hear  that 
you  were  ill  and  could  not  see  you,  I  do  not  know  what 
would  happen  to  me.  I  am  astonished  you  do  not 
receive  my  letters  regularly  for  I  write  every  day, 
indeed  were  I  not  afraid  of  wearying  you  I  should  do 
so  every  hour.  I  am  wonderfully  well ;  I  shall  go 
to-day  to  the  fete  the  town  is  preparing  for  me,  which 
consists  of  a  comedy  and  a  ball.  I  am  having  a  gown 
adorned  with  diamonds  because  I  know  you  like  me 
to  be  well  dressed.  I  shall  not  dance ;  I  hope  you 
will  not  mind  this. 

'  We  are  having  very  high  winds,  so  I  hope  you 
will  not  remain  with  the  fleet.  I  am  frozen,  for  the 
doors  and  windows  do  not  fit,  and  it  rains  in  torrents. 


PURCHASE   OF  LACE  135 

Yesterday  I  received  news  of  your  son,  who  is  well, 
and  is  beginning  to  take  soup.  The  Due  and  Duchesse 
de  Bassano  passed  through  yesterday  on  their  way  to 
Antwerp.  I  kept  them  to  dinner.  Write  to  me  soon, 
my  dear,  that  you  are  at  Antwerp  and  that  I  am  to 
rejoin  you.  I  am  longing  for  the  moment  when  I 
can  embrace  you  and  tell  you  in  person  how  much  I 
love  you. 

"  Your  faithful  and  tender  wife  and  friend, 

"  MARIE-LOUISE." 

Next  day  she  wrote  : 

"  Laeken,  Sept.  27,  at  3  in  the  afternoon. 

"MY  DEAR  ONE, 

"  Your  letter  of  the  25th  fills  me  with  joy,  the 
more  so  as  I  did  not  receive  one  yesterday,  which  was 
beginning  to  make  me  very  uneasy.  I  pray  that 
your  health  may  always  be  as  good.  This  is  certainly 
not  selfishness,  for  if  I  consulted  my  own  feelings,  I 
should  want  you  to  be  so  sea-sick  that  you  would  be 
obliged  to  return  very  quickly  to  Antwerp.  I  have 
a  most  lively  desire  to  see  you  again.  I  am  very  well 
and  quite  comfortable  at  Laeken,  but  not  so  well  as 
when  I  am  near  you.  The  fete  was  very  fine  yesterday, 
the  company  very  well  chosen,  and  the  park  splendidly 
illuminated.  At  the  beginning  they  gave  the  little 
opera,  Maison  d  Vendre,  which  was  so  badly  sung  that 
my  poor  ears  are  still  suffering.  Thank  you  for  having 
thought  of  me,  and  for  sending  money  for  my  purse 
so  that  I  shall  be  able  to  give  a  larger  sum  to  the  poor. 
The  lace-workers  are  delighted  with  the  orders  you 
have  given,  and  the  Prefet  equally  so,  for  he  says  they 
can  find  no  one  to  purchase  their  laces. 


130  THE  JOURNEY  OF  1811        [Cn.  VI 

"  To-day  I  shall  have  a  concert  and  a  reception. 
I  will  try  to  please  the  Belgians,  but  for  me  every  day 
that  I  pass  away  from  you  causes  me  so  much  sorrow, 
that,  although  I  try  to  hide  it,  I  am  sure  it  can  be  easily 
read  in  my  face.  Adieu,  my  dear  one,  I  embrace  you 
tenderly. 

'  Your  faithful  and  tender  wife, 

"  MARIE-LOUISE." 


The  total  of  the  bill  for  the  laces  purchased  for  the 
use  of  her  Majesty  at  Brussels  between  September  23 
and  29,  amounted  to  134,662  frs.  59  c.  In  addition 
the  Empress  expended  89,145  frs.  59  c.  on  lace  for  her 
wardrobe  department,  and  according  to  an  estimate 
signed  by  her  on  July  29,  1812,  she  spent  an  amount 
equivalent  to  45,519  frs.  in  presents.  The  names 
upon  the  estimate  are  as  follows  : 

Frs. 

To  Mme.  de  Montesquieu,  Governess  to 

the  Children  of  France,  1  robe  at  . .  4,900 

To  Mme.  de  Montebello,  Lady-in- Waiting 

1  robe  at  5,000 

4  ells  superfine  Bruxelles  at  430  frs.    . .  1,720 
6  ells        330 

5  ells        165 

6  ells        504 

4J  ells 203.58 

3  ells        144 

6  ells        252 

6  ells        252 

6  ells  240 


LACE  FOR  HER  COURTIERS          137 

Frs. 

To  Mme.  de  Lu§ay,  Lady  of  the  Wardrobe, 

1  robe 3,000 

To  Mme.  de  Mesgriny,  Under-governess, 

1  veil  1,320 

To  the  Ladies-in- Waiting,  1  cape  and  8 

ells  needle  point  . .         . .         . .      2,150 

To  the  Ladies-in- Waiting,  1  veil,  3  capes     5,160 
To  a  Lady-in- Waiting,  1  cape     . .         . .      1,440 

To  M.  Bourdier,  physician,  1  pair  of 

sleeve  ruffles       . .         . .         . .         . .         430 

To  M.  Ballouhey,  treasurer,  1  pair  of 

sleeve  ruffles       . .         . .         . .         . .         960 

To  the  premieres  femmes,  Ells  Bruxelles 

and  Malines        . .         . .         . .         . .      4,191 

For  the  journey,  6  ells  Dentelles  Bruxelles  528 
The  remainder  for  the  journey. 

Accordingly,  Mme.  de  Montebello  received  one- 
third  of  the  lace  presented,  and  we  may  well  believe 
her  portion  would  be  the  most  sumptuous. 

"  Chateau  de  Laeken,  Sept.  28, 10i  o'clock. 

"  MY  DEAR  ONE, 

"  I  am  very  happy  to-day,  for  in  addition  to 
receiving  your  letters  of  the  26th  and  27th  you  give 
me  the  hope  of  seeing  you  again.  I  do  not  know  what 
presentiment  tells  me  that  to-morrow  will  be  the 
happy  day.  I  await  this  moment  with  extraordinary 
impatience.  I  assure  you  your  absence  has  made  me 
sufier  greatly  and  has  caused  me  much  sorrow.  I  am 
delighted  I  did  not  know  beforehand  that  the  sea  was 
stormy  on  the  26th,  for  I  should  have  imagined  you 


138  THE  JOUENEY  OF  1811         [Cn.  VI 

in  danger  and  been  very  worried.  I  thank  Heaven 
that  you  have  not  suffered  from  the  sea.  It  is 
evident  that  you  are  fortunate  in  everything.  I 
cannot  understand  why  you  do  not  receive  my  news, 
for  I  write  to  you  most  regularly,  once  and  sometimes 
twice  a  day.  So  you  see,  dear  love,  it  is  not  my  fault. 
I  am  wonderfully  well  notwithstanding  the  damp  and 
the  unfavourable  time  of  year.  Yesterday  I  held  a 
reception  and  heard  some  very  pretty  music  at  the 
concert.  The  Queen  of  Naples  has  not  yet  arrived 
here,  but  should  she  come  to-day,  as  you  have  left  it 
to  me  to  decide  how  I  will  receive  her,  I  shall  at  once 
invite  her  to  take  up  her  abode  at  the  Chateau  de 
Laeken.  I  shall  remain  at  home  this  evening  with 
the  people  to  whom  I  have  given  the  entree  to  the 
Chateau.  I  embrace  you  many  times,  and  hope  to-day 
to  receive  word  from  you  where  I  am  to  meet  you. 
'  Your  faithful  and  affectionate  wife, 

"  MARIE-LOUISE." 


"  Laeken,  Sept.  29,  at  9£  in  the  morning. 

"  MY  DEAR  ONE, 

"  I  was  awakened  by  your  charming  letter  of 
the  28th  in  which  you  inform  me  that  you  are  well. 
I  am  very  sorry  to  learn  your  departure  from  Flushing 
is  still  postponed.  This  deprives  me  of  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  you  for  a  day.  I  do  not  know  why,  but 
yesterday  I  expected  all  day  to  receive  an  order  to 
rejoin  you.  You  should  have  seen  what  a  dismal 
countenance  I  displayed  in  the  Salon,  for  whenever 
the  door  was  opened  I  expected  to  see  the  welcome 
messenger  arrive,  but  all  my  hopes  were  in  vain.  I 
assure  you  that  if  you  delay  much  longer,  I  shall  not 


LEAVES  LAEKEN  139 

be  able  to  sleep  for  impatience.  I  hope  you  will  not 
think  I  am  angry  with  Princess  Pauline ;  I  pity  her 
for  her  sufferings  as  much  as  you  do,  and  the  only 
reason  I  told  you  the  whole  story  of  the  other  day, 
was  the  fear  that  some  one  might  prime  you  with  a 
tale  against  me.  I  am  very  well.  Yesterday  I  spent 
the  evening  at  home.  We  are  always  on  the  watch 
to  receive  your  orders.  I  shall  also  remain  at  home 
this  evening.  I  propose  to  take  a  drive  in  the  park 
of  Brussels.  The  inhabitants  have  expressed  a  lively 
desire  that  I  should  do  so.  Adieu,  my  dear,  I  hope 
this  may  be  the  last  letter  I  shall  write  to  you,  and 
that  to-morrow  I  may  embrace  you  in  person. 
'*  Your  faithful  and  tender  wife, 

"  MABIE-LOUISE." 

Finally : 

"  Laeken,  Sept.  30,  at  7£  in  the  morning. 

"  A  few  moments  ago  I  received  your  letter  which 
has  overwhelmed  me  with  joy.  I  shall  start  at  noon 
precisely  and  hope  to  be  near  you  at  four  o'clock. 
The  Queen  of  Naples  has  not  yet  arrived.  I  am  very 
well  and  await  with  vast  impatience  the  moment  when 
I  may  embrace  you  in  person. 

'  Your  faithful  and  devoted  wife, 

"  MAKIE-LOUISE." 

In  accordance  with  her  programme,  the  Empress 
arrived  at  four  o'clock.  The  correspondence  therefore 
ceased. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  have  any  fuller  revelation 
of  Marie-Louise  than  is  given  in  these  letters.  We 
must,  however,  add  to  them  one  that  she  wrote  from 


140  THE  JOUKNEY  OF  1811        [On.  VI 

Antwerp  on  October  2,  to  Mme.  de  Lu£ay,  Mistress 
of  the  Robes. 

:<  I  have  not  been  able  up  to  the  present  to  carry 
out  the  promise  I  made  of  writing  to  you  and  giving 
you  news  of  myself.  I  hope  your  health  is  as  good  as 
mine.  I  was  not  the  least  fatigued  by  my  journey 
from  Compiegne  to  Brussels,  although  I  was  twenty- 
two  hours  in  the  carriage.  Since  then  fetes  and  re- 
ceptions have  occupied  all  my  time.  I  remained  ten 
days  at  Laeken  in  the  midst  of  terrific  storms  and  rain, 
so  was  only  able  to  go  out  twice  for  an  excursion  in 
the  charming  environs.  I  rejoined  the  Emperor  at 
Antwerp  the  day  before  yesterday.  You  can  easily 
imagine  my  happiness.  He  is  in  the  enjoyment  of 
excellent  health.  Yesterday  and  to-day  I  spent  in 
viewing  the  dockyards,  dykes,  and  basins  constructed 
by  the  Emperor.  I  expect  to  leave  to-morrow  at  ten 
o'clock  for  Breda.  There  will  be  only  fourteen  leagues 
to  travel,  but  the  roads  are  said  to  be  so  dangerous 
and  the  horses  so  bad  that  over  twelve  hours  will  be 
necessary  to  make  this  little  journey.  I  beg  you  to 
send  me  three  dresses  for  the  autumn  to  Amsterdam, 
as  soon  as  possible,  one  blue,  one  pink,  one  white.  I 
hope  to  hear  in  your  next  letter  that  M.  de  Lu§ay  is 
in  better  health,  and  that  I  shall  soon  have  the  pleasure 
of  assuring  you  by  word  of  mouth  of  the  friendship 
with  which  I  sign  myself, 

'  Your  very  affectionate 

"  MARIE-LOUISE." 

This  shows  how  much  credence  may  be  placed  in 
the  report  so  carefully  recorded  by  the  Queen  of 
Westphalia  :  "  The  King  has  received  news  from  Paris. 


THE   MEETING  AT  ANTWEEP,   1811     141 

They  say  all  is  not  well  between  the  royal  couple,  that 
the  Empress  is  very  jealous,  and  is  inexcusably  wrong 
in  her  attitude  to  the  Emperor.  .  .  .  The  Emperor, 
they  say,  has  been  furious  at  this  want  of  deference. 
The  Empress  nevertheless  has  followed  the  Emperor." 
The  Empress  left  Laeken  on  September  30  after  a 
visit  disturbed,  not  by  jealousy,  but  by  a  tempest  and 
terrible  rain  which  only  allowed  her  two  excursions. 
After  four  hours,  accompanied  only  by  six  post- 
carriages,  she  arrived  at  Antwerp  and  alighted  at  the 
house  of  the  Mayor,  M.  Cornelissen,  where  the  Emperor 
had  been  in  residence  since  one  in  the  morning  ;  on  the 
evening  of  her  arrival  she  received  the  ladies.  On 
October  1,  their  Majesties  went  in  great  state  to  N6tre- 
Dame.  The  Empress  was  in  full  dress  in  a  gorgeous 
State  carriage  lined  with  grey  satin,  harnessed  with 
eight  dapple  grey  horses,  plumed  and  magnificently 
caparisoned.  Their  Majesties  were  received  outside 
the  church  door  by  M.  de  Pradt,  Archbishop  of  Malines, 
who  discoursed  on  the  virtues  of  the  two  Maries. 
Then  followed  reviews  and  the  launching  of  ships,  a 
full  programme.  On  October  4,  at  2  a.m.,  the  Emperor 
set  out  to  inspect  the  coast.  The  Empress  did  not 
leave  Antwerp  until  ten  o'clock.  She  slept  at  Breda 
and  reached  Gorcum  for  dinner,  where  the  Emperor 
had  been  awaiting  her  for  two  hours.  Next  day  the 
horses  were  ordered  for  eight  o'clock ;  the  Empress 
was  not  ready  until  ten,  consequently  they  arrived 
at  Utrecht  at  three  o'clock  instead  of  at  noon.  They 
stayed  at  the  Palais  Imperial,  formerly  the  EoyaL 
which  Louis  had  entirely  refitted  for  a  residence  that 


142  THE  JOURNEY  OF  1811         [On.  VI 

lasted  only  two  months  in  all.  There  were  three  days 
of  reviews,  receptions,  and  audiences.  Their  Majesties 
did  not  appear  at  the  ball  given  by  the  city.  At 
Utrecht,  Marie-Louise  purchased  two  cases  of  toys : 
not  to  be  opened  before  her  return.  Such  was  the 
souvenir  she  kept  from  Utrecht. 

Their  Majesties  departed  for  Amsterdam  between 
nine  and  ten  in  the  morning.  The  travelling  carriages 
halted  outside  the  gates ;  the  Empress  entered  the 
State  coach,  and  the  Emperor  mounted  his  horse  to 
ride  in  the  military  procession,  which  comprised  four 
regiments  of  cuirassiers,  the  whole  of  the  cavalry,  with 
a  guard  of  innumerable  foot-soldiers  lining  the  route. 
The  usual  receptions,  audiences,  Masses,  presentations, 
and  theatrical  performances  followed.  None  of  the 
Dutch  were  invited  to  the  reception,  only  the  travel- 
ling suite  being  admitted.  While  the  Emperor  was 
away  from  her  in  the  Island  of  Texel  for  three  days 
inspecting  the  fleet,  Marie-Louise  explored  the  shops 
to  such  good  effect  that  she  exhausted  her  purse.  She 
wrote :  "  I  greatly  fear  the  Emperor  will  think  it  wrong 
of  me  to  ask  him  for  an  extra  subsidy  for  my  toilet,  so 
I  shall  wait  for  a  day  when  he  is  in  a  very  good  temper 
to  speak  to  him  about  it."  She  had,  indeed,  made 
large  purchases,  "  linen  finer  than  cambric  to  be  used 
for  nightdresses,  and  many  other  goods  of  which  the 
name  and  country  are  a  secret.  I  am  bringing  you 
back  teapots  of  Boucaron  (Bokhara)  and  some  old 
Chinese  lacquer  which  I  picked  up  myself  in  the  best 
shop  in  Amsterdam."  This  she  preferred  to  running 
about  the  environs,  however  pretty  they  might  be,  for 


THE  EMPEROR'S  ENERGY  143 

she  remarked,  "  One  sees  so  much  water  here,  that  one 
is  soon  disgusted  with  it." 

On  the  Emperor's  return  a,  fete  with  its  full  accom- 
paniment of  flowers  and  quadrilles  was  held  as  at  the 
Tuileries.  There  were  performances  at  the  Theatre 
Hollandais  in  which  Mme.  Watier,  the  great  Dutch 
tragedian,  took  part,  representations  displaying  the 
skill  of  the  French  actors,  Talma,  Duchesnois,  Bour- 
goin,  and  Dumas.  On  the  24th  they  left  for  Leyden, 
The  Hague,  Rotterdam,  Gouda,  and  the  Loo.  Marie- 
Louise  had  only  one  idea,  to  get  away  from  the  bad 
climate  of  Holland.  The  Emperor,  too,  seemed  in 
haste  to  be  off.  On  the  30th  they  were  at  Nimeguen, 
and  after  an  adventure  at  the  Chateau  of  Ottenberg, 
where  they  were  obliged  to  stop  without  either  sleeping 
accommodation  or  supper,  the  Empress  arrived  at 
Dusseldorf,  where  she  was  lodged  at  the  Chateau  de  la 
Venerie.  Presentations  were  made,  and  fetes  and 
excursions  organised,  about  which  Roederer,  Minister 
of  State,  and  Beugnot,  Minister  of  the  Grand  Duchy, 
were  most  enthusiastic,  having  described  them  as 
'  The  prettiest  of  the  whole  journey,  not  excepting 
Amsterdam  ;  but  the  Empress  is  satiated  with  fetes 
and  is  half  dead  with  fatigue."  At  cards  she  answered 
the  Emperor  in  monosyllables,  the  others  by  mono- 
tonous movements  of  her  head.  This  whirl  of  travel 
was  not  yet  at  an  end. 

On  the  4th,  owing  to  despatches  from  Paris,  the 
Emperor  decided  on  an  immediate  return.  At 
Cologne  he  would  hardly  allow  the  Empress  twelve 
hours  in  which  to  adore  the  famous  relics  and  inspect 


144  THE  JOUENEY  OF  1811         [On.  VI 

the  treasures.  The  journey  had  to  be  rushed  through 
in  three  days.  On  account  of  Marie-Louise,  halts 
were  made  for  lunch  and  at  night ;  from  Cologne  they 
went  to  Liege,  from  Liege  to  Gurt,  but  the  Marne, 
owing  to  flood,  had  carried  away  the  bridge  of  boats  ; 
it  was  not  until  midday  that  they  were  able  to  cross, 
by  a  flying  bridge  constructed  by  the  English  prisoners 
at  the  depot ;  they  were  forced  to  sleep  at  Mezieres, 
which  they  left  on  the  10th  at  six  in  the  morning,  and 
breakfasted  at  Rethel.  From  there  they  passed 
through  Rheims,  and  at  ten  at  night  arrived  at  Corn- 
pi  egne.  Next  day  at  seven  in  the  evening  they  reached 
Saint-Cloud.  At  the  entrance  of  the  Grand  Vestibule 
the  Empress  found  her  son  in  the  arms  of  his  governess. 
She  wrote :  "  You  were  quite  right  to  say  how  delighted 
I  would  be  to  see  my  son  again  after  a  journey  of  two 
months  !  What  I  felt  in  my  heart  it  is  impossible  to 
express  in  words." 

That  ended  the  travels  for  this  year.  Their 
Majesties  remained  three  weeks  at  Saint-Cloud,  and 
then  returned  to  Paris  for  the  1st  of  December. 


CHAPTER  VII 

JOUENEY  TO   DRESDEN  AND  PRAGUE,   1812 

THE  days  passed.  Many  entertainments  were  given, 
including  balls,  plays,  and  quadrilles,  in  reality  plays 
in  which  the  princesses  and  the  ladies  of  the  Court 
were  the  actresses.  The  Quadrille  of  the  Queen  of 
Naples  and  that  of  Queen  Hortense,  the  one  in  honour 
of  the  King  of  Rome,  the  other  for  le  Roi  Soleil,  were 
both  performances  with  which  to  amuse  the  gallery. 
Great  events  were  looming  on  the  horizon. 

Already,  during  their  visit  to  Amsterdam,  mis- 
understandings had  arisen  between  France  and  Russia, 
and  Napoleon  had  shown  in  many  ways  that  his 
sentiments  towards  Russia  were  not  very  cordial ; 
for  instance,  he  took  very  little  interest  in  Zaandam, 
famous  as  the  temporary  abode  of  Peter  the  Great, 
also  he  removed  the  bust  of  Alexander  from  Marie- 
Louise's  piano.  The  movements  of  the  troops  showed 
hostilities  were  premeditated  ;  the  Emperor,  however, 
imagined  he  could  still  conceal  his  hand.  He  devised 
a  scheme  to  involve  his  father-in-law  in  the  dispute, 
thinking  perhaps  that  by  showing  how  close  was  the 
alliance  between  the  two  Empires,  he  might  prevent 
the  war.  He  wished,  therefore,  to  meet  the  Emperor 
before  setting  out  to  take  command  of  his  armies. 

140 


146  JOURNEY  TO  PRAGUE        [On.  VII 

The  Emperor  came  as  far  as  Dresden,  so  spared  his 
son-in-law  half  the  journey.* 

Napoleon  left  Saint-Cloud  on  May  9  at  half-past 
five  in  the  morning  ;  Marie-Louise  was  in  his  carriage, 
and  the  suite  was  even  more  numerous  and  more 
brilliant  than  that  which  attended  their  Majesties  on 
the  journey  to  Holland.  There  was  no  military  escort 
for  the  Emperor  (all  the  military  forces  having  been 
at  Posen  since  the  beginning  of  May),  but  thirty-nine 
honorary  officers  accompanied  him  and  seventeen 
waited  on  the  Empress.  As  for  the  paid  retinue,  the 
chamber,  table,  pantry,  kitchen,  and  livery  services 
were  even  better  equipped  than  in  the  earlier  journeys 
through  the  Empire.  At  Dresden,  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  (although  the  guest  of  the  King  of  Saxony) 
would  receive  the  King  of  Saxony  and  the  Emperor 
of  Austria ;  and  (with  the  exception  of  the  State 
carriages  which  were  to  be  provided  by  the  West- 
phalian  Court  and  the  Saxon  Court)  everything  would 
be  French,  and  the  whole  ceremony  was  to  be  carried 
out  in  the  French  manner. 

'  The  Emperor  has  left  to-day  to  proceed  to  the 
inspection  of  the  Grande  Armee  assembled  on  the 
Vistula,"  one  may  read  in  Le  Moniteur  of  the  9th. 
"  H.M.  the  Empress  will  accompany  His  Majesty  as 
far  as  Dresden,  where  she  hopes  to  have  the  pleasure 

*  I  may  be  permitted  here  to  refer  to  the  valuable  documents  which 
I  published  in  the  numbers  for  March-April  and  May-June,  1914,  of 
La  Rdvue  des  Etudes  Napolfoniennes  on  Le  Role  de  VAustriche  en  1813, 
despatches  from  M.  de  Lebzeltern  to  Metternich.  The  complicity  of 
Austria  with  Russia  from  the  month  of  March,  1812,  is  established  by 
the  text  of  these  despatches. — F.  M. 


CHALONS— METZ— WUKTZBURG   147 

of  meeting  her  august  family.    She  will  return  at  the 
latest  in  July." 

Although  they  were  to  travel  incognito  as  far  as 
Mayence,  at  Chalons  the  Emperor  received  the 
authorities  after  dinner,  and  their  Majesties  spent  the 
night  at  the  Prefecture.  On  the  10th  at  Metz,  where 
they  also  stayed  the  night,  the  Emperor  visited  the 
Arsenal,  reviewed  the  troops,  and  assured  himself 
that  the  fortifications  were  in  good  order.  They 
started  for  Mayence  at  half-past  two  on  the  morning 
of  the  llth  and  arrived  there  during  the  day.  This 
was  the  first  appearance  there  of  the  Empress.  Their 
Majesties  were  lodged  in  the  Palais  de  1'Ordre  Teu- 
tonique,  notwithstanding  the  Artillery  School  was 
established  in  it ;  nevertheless  it  was  turned  out  by 
order  of  the  Emperor,  and  the  Palace  was  converted 
into  the  Imperial  Head-quarters.  The  Grand  Duke 
and  the  Grand  Duchess  of  Hesse-Darmstadt  came  to 
pay  their  respects,  together  with  the  Hereditary  Prince 
and  a  number  of  the  Princes  of  the  Ehine.  Their 
Majesties  remained  over  the  12th  for  reviews,  re- 
ceptions, and  audiences.  On  the  13th  they  break- 
fasted at  Aschaffenburg  as  guests  of  the  Prince 
Primate  and  dined  and  slept  at  Wurtzburg  under  the 
roof  of  the  Grand  Duke,  uncle  to  Marie-Louise.  Here 
they  met  the  King  of  Wurtemburg  and  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Baden.  Everywhere  they  were  welcomed 
with  salutes  of  cannon,  troops,  the  ringing  of  bells, 
and  illuminations  ;  but  from  Mayence  onwards  the 
escorts  were  provided  by  the  Cavalry  of  the  Guard, 
only  at  the  frontier  of  Saxony  did  the  Emperor,  after 


148  JOUENEY  TO  PKAGUE       [On.  VII 

receiving  the  congratulations  of  the  Saxon  Grand 
Chamberlain,  accept  an  escort  of  the  Saxon  Guards. 
They  slept  at  Plauen,  and  reached  Freyberg  on  the 
16th,  where  they  dined.  They  were  received  by  the 
King  and  Queen  of  Saxony  with  whom  they  entered 
Dresden  at  half -past  eleven  at  night.  The  Emperor 
had  declined  the  offer  of  the  Saxon  State  coaches ; 
nevertheless  the  city  was  illuminated,  all  the  troops 
were  under  arms,  while  the  cannon  thundered,  the  bells 
pealed,  and  at  the  Palace,  the  Eoyal  family  with  the 
whole  Court  awaited  the  Emperor,  to  conduct  him 
to  the  suite  of  apartments  called  after  Augustus  II., 
which  had  been  reserved  for  him. 

The  Empress  wrote  on  the  17th  to  Mme.  de 
Lu9ay :  "  I  write  to  you  from  my  bed  to  let  you 
know  we  arrived  at  Dresden  safely  yesterday  at  half- 
past  eleven  in  the  evening.  The  Emperor  is  well. 
I  am  excessively  fatigued  by  the  heat  and  the  bad 
roads." 

The  Empress  made  no  public  appearance,  but  dined 
tete-d-tete  with  the  Emperor.  On  the  following  day 
at  midday  the  Emperor  and  Empress  of  Austria 
arrived.  Marie-Louise,  who  had  been  forbidden  to 
meet  her  father,  wrote  to  excuse  herself  and  to  express 
how  very  excited  she  would  be  until  the  moment 
arrived  when  she  could  reassure  him  of  her  filial 
affection. 

The  reigning  Empress  of  Austria  was  Maria- 
Ludovica  d'Este,  a  pretty  little  woman,  with  wicked 
eyes,  who  from  birth  had  dreamt  of  war  against  the 
French  and  brought  to  bear  on  it  the  love  of  intrigue 


MARIA-LUDOVICA'S   INTRIGUES        149 

which  she  had  inherited  from  her  maternal  ancestors. 
Her  mother,  Maria-Beatrix-Ricarda,  was  the  daughter 
of  the  Duke  of  Modena  and  of  Maria-Teresa  Cibo 
Malaspina,  Princess  of  Massa  and  Carrara.  She  had 
been  forced  to  marry  an  Arch-Duke,  and  from  their 
union  sprang  the  house  of  Este-Modena,  who  upheld 
the  traditions  of  violent  hatred  of  France  and  the 
leaders  of  the  Revolution.  From  her  very  first  inter- 
view with  Napoleon,  Maria-Ludovica  could  scarcely 
conceal  her  dislike.  She  wrote  to  her  mother  com- 
plaining of  the  way  in  which  Napoleon  had  all  but 
embraced  her  and  had  actually  kissed  her,  while  he 
fired  off  a  volley  of  questions  to  which  she  was  careful 
not  to  reply  ;  also  expressing  her  resentment  because 
Marie-Louise  had  come  into  her  rooms  in  full  toilette 
covered  with  diamonds. 

Marie-Louise  also  was  out  for  revenge.  She  was 
very  indignant  that  her  mother's  place  had  been  filled 
so  quickly  by  this  Princess  whose  reputation  was  by 
no  means  unblemished  ;  she  had  watched  the  new 
Empress  precipitate  Austria  (hardly  yet  recovered 
from  the  defeats  of  1805)  into  a  fresh  war  in  which 
it  had  all  but  perished,  while  Marie-Louise  herself  had 
been  sacrificed  as  surety  for  peace.  Even  in  her 
travelling  over  the  country  as  one  of  the  exiled,  she 
had  been  the  victim  of  Maria-Ludovica.  It  was  only 
right  she  should  now  take  her  revenge.  She  had 
singularly  improved  in  looks,  until  her  appearance 
now  was  so  elegant  people  hardly  recognised  her. 
Her  figure  was  charming,  her  little  feet  ravishing, 
added  to  which  every  one  was  talking  of  her  suite, 


150  JOUENEY  TO  PRAGUE       [Cn.  VII 

her  hundred  and  fifty  valets  de  chambre,  pages,  and 
lackeys.  The  Emperor  of  Austria  himself  had  but 
two.  Maria-Ludovica  (who  in  order  to  avoid  rivalry 
and  comparison  of  ornaments,  had  adopted  the 
Hungarian  costume  which  suited  her  to  perfection) 
passed  her  time  rummaging  through  her  step- 
daughter's belongings  and  never  emerged  empty- 
handed.  Napoleon,  convinced  that  Maria-Ludovica 
would  at  length  yield  either  to  his  blandishments  or 
his  power,  exerted  himself  to  please  her  and  to  win 
her  favour.  "  He  believes  he  has  conquered  her," 
remarked  his  secretary.  In  a  few  days  she  capitulated 
to  the  ascendancy  which  he  exerted  over  every  one. 
Napoleon  passing  through  the  apartments,  with  his 
hat  in  one  hand,  while  the  other  rested  on  the  door 
of  the  Empress's  Sedan  chair,  talked  to  her  gaily  and 
adopted  airs  of  intimacy.  The  Empress  appeared  to 
be  deeply  interested  in  his  conversation,  for  she 
listened,  and  answered  him  with  eager  interest. 
Napoleon  was  convinced  she  felt  specially  attracted 
to  him  when  she  was  with  him,  and  remarked,  "  Her 
face  was  agreeable  and  piquante,  with  something 
quite  characteristic  about  it."  She  was  '  a  very 
pretty  little  nun.'  She  let  him  think  what  he  liked, 
so  with  the  fatuity  of  the  man  who  with  money  in 
his  hand  had  never  failed  to  soften  the  heart  of  a 
fair,  cruel  lady,  he  instantly  imagined  he  had  won 
her  and  allowed  himself  to  be  hoodwinked.  Naturally 
she  won  him.  Hers  was  the  decisive  throw.  She 
had  anticipated  the  influence  the  son-in-law  would 
acquire  over  the  father-in-law,  if  given  a  free  hand, 


PLOTS  AND  COUNTERPLOTS          161 

and  she  intended  to  remain  the  undisputed  mistress 
of  the  husband  who  was  in  her  toils. 

It  was  not  enough  for  Napoleon  that  the  Emperor 
Francis  had  handed  over  to  him  the  Austrian  army  to 
use  as  he  wished  ;  but  he  had  decided  that  Francis 
himself  should  take  command,  should  enter  Russia, 
and  personally  take  part  in  the  campaign ;  and 
moreover,  take  part  with  him.  That  would  indeed 
have  been  in  direct  opposition  to  the  arrangements 
that  Lebzeltern  had  made  with  Russia;  but  Maria- 
Ludovica  was  on  the  watch.  She  used  all  the  means 
in  her  power,  reproaches,  prayers,  and  tears,  to 
prevent  her  husband  engaging  in  this  adventure 
which  would  have  linked  his  policy  for  ever  with  that 
of  France.  As  a  final  expedient,  although  not  having 
any  confidence  in  Metternich,  who,  she  believed,  had 
been  won  over  to  the  French  by  handsome  bribes,  she 
nevertheless  appealed  to  him  for  support,  and  to  her 
surprise  he  supported  her.  The  Emperor  Francis 
declined  to  set  out ;  he  resisted  the  influence  his 
son-in-law  brought  to  bear  on  him,  and  yielded  to 
the  representations  of  his  wife  and  Metternich.  The 
snare  was  laid  ;  if  Russia  would  play  her  part,  Austria 
would  be  ready  to  finish  ofl  the  foe. 

This  drama  was  enacted  amid  the  most  sumptuous 
fetes.  The  table  was  laid  for  sixteen  princes,  some- 
times in  the  apartments  of  the  Queen  of  Saxony,  where 
the  superior  officers  of  the  Saxon  Court  acted  as 
attendants,  sometimes  in  the  apartments  of  the  Em- 
peror of  France.  The  levee  was  usually  held  in  the 
quarters  of  the  Emperor  of  France,  occasionally  in 


152  JOURNEY  TO  PKAGUE       [On.  VII 

those  of  the  King  of  Saxony.  Now  and  then  dinner 
was  followed  by  a  concert.  They  hunted  one  day ; 
the  princes  on  horseback,  the  princesses  in  carriages  ; 
two  boars  were  killed.  On  the  26th  the  King  of 
Prussia  arrived  from  Dresden  and  the  Emperor  paid 
him  a  formal  call.  He  was  then  invited  with  his  son, 
the  Prince  Koyal,  to  dine  with  the  King  of  Saxony, 
and  a  banquet  took  place  on  the  27th  in  the  great 
dining-hall,  served  by  the  pages  of  Saxony  assisted 
by  the  officers  of  the  chamber. 

On  the  28th,  the  Fete-Dieu,  Marie-Louise  attended 
the  Mass  celebrated  by  the  Archbishop  of  Malines ; 
the  Emperor  at  three  o'clock  bade  farewell  to  the 
Emperor  of  Austria,  the  Grand  Duke  of  Wurtzburg, 
the  Prussians,  Saxons,  and  the  Princess  Augusta. 
The  entire  Court  attended  the  Emperor's  dinner  as 
he  was  to  depart  at  three  in  the  morning.  Marie- 
Louise's  tears  must  have  convinced  the  most  in- 
credulous that  she  loved  her  husband  very  sincerely. 
The  Emperor  himself  seemed  preoccupied.  He  al- 
ways had  been  anxious  in  Josephine's  tune  at  the 
opening  of  a  fresh  campaign,  and  on  this  occasion, 
had  he  not  cause  for  uneasiness  ?  His  departure 
was  delayed  beyond  the  appointed  hour,  and  his 
agitation  was  shown  by  his  incessant  pacing  to  and 
fro  between  his  apartment  and  that  of  the  Empress. 

The  carriages  only  rolled  off  at  half -past  four  in  the 
morning.  '  You  know  me  sufficiently  well,"  wrote 
Marie-Louise  to  Mme.  de  Lu£ay,  "  to  understand 
how  sad  and  unhappy  I  am.  I  try  to  control  myself, 
but  I  shall  be  like  this  until  T  see  him  again."  In 


JEALOUSY  OF  PRECEDENCE          153 

this  state  she  was  more  than  ever  in  need  of  demon- 
strative affection  and  tender  caresses,  therefore  she 
gladly  arranged  to  go  to  Prague  for  six  weeks,  where 
her  sisters  and  brother,  her  uncle,  and  the  whole  of 
her  family  might  visit  her. 

The  Austrians  left  Dresden  on  the  morning  of  the 
29th.  Marie-Louise,  who  was  to  be  received  as 
Empress,  prolonged  her  stay  in  Dresden,  where  the 
Saxon  family,  the  Queen  of  Westphalia,  and  the 
Grand  Duke  of  Wurtzburg  lavished  attentions  on  her  ; 
her  uncle  himself  was  to  accompany  her  to  Prague. 
On  June  4,  at  five  in  the  morning,  she  left  Dresden 
with  an  escort  of  Saxon  Cuirassiers  ;  she  was  received 
in  Bohemia  with  Imperial  honours. 

At  Teplitz  she  made  a  point  of  promenading  at 
the  baths  as  was  the  habit  of  every  fine  lady  in 
Europe ;  she  slept  there,  and  departed  again  next 
day  at  seven  in  the  morning.  Their  Austrian  Maj  esties 
met  her  at  the  Abbey  of  St.  Margaret,  which  she 
reached  at  four  o'clock,  and  seated  herself  on  the  right 
of  her  stepmother's  carriage.  On  the  6th  she  enter- 
tained her  father  and  stepmother  at  dinner  in  her 
apartments,  and  sat  in  the  centre  of  one  of  the  long 
sides  of  the  oval  table,  with  the  Prefet  du  Palais 
standing  opposite  her,  having  the  Emperor  on  her 
right  hand  with  the  Empress  on  her  left.  This  was 
her  usual  procedure,  as  is  shown  by  the  following : 
"  Her  Majesty  the  Empress  of  France  generally 
occupied  the  centre  place,  whether  in  her  own  apart- 
ments or  in  those  of  their  Austrian  Majesties,  or  at 
the  play." 


154  JOURNEY  TO  PRAGUE       [Cn.  VII 

It  was  a  difficult  matter  to  keep  the  peace  between 
the  Austrian  household  and  her  French  household. 
The  universal  detestation  of  France  made  the 
Austrians  extremely  uncordial  to  the  Court  of  the 
Tuileries.  Already  at  Dresden,  this  attitude  of  cold- 
ness and  rumour  had  been  displayed  by  the  Empress 
of  Austria's  ladies.  It  must  be  admitted  that  Marie- 
Louise  placed  herself  at  the  head  of  the  French 
faction,  but  this  was  only  natural  seeing  that  the 
influence  of  her  lady-in-waiting  was  paramount  with 
her.  She  wrote  to  Mme.  de  Lu9ay  :  "I  assure  you 
that,  in  spite  of  my  old  gowns,  your  self-respect  as 
mistress  of  the  robes  need  not  be  wounded,  for  they 
are  thought  splendid,  and  really  are  marvellously 
effective  amid  all  the  frumpish  toilettes  that  one  sees 
here."  She  affected  only  to  like  and  esteem  what 
was  French,  and  on  all  occasions  paraded  her  love  for 
the  Emperor.  She  wrote  :  "  He  is  wonderfully  well 
and  always  gives  me  the  hope  of  seeing  him  shortly, 
God  grant  this  may  be  true  !  I  should  be  too  unhappy 
but  for  this.  They  entertain  me  with  perpetual  fetes 
which  only  make  me  sadder.  My  uncles  come  to 
visit  me.  I  could  be  perfectly  contented  here  if  the 
Emperor  were  with  me,  but  without  him,  there  is  no 
happiness  for  me." 

At  Prague  every  day  at  least  one  Arch-Duke  came 
to  see  this  sorrowful  lady  who,  in  spite  of  everything, 
looked  remarkably  well.  She  walked  daily  in  the 
gardens  and  visited  the  Bubenetz  Park,  Prince 
Matislau,  Count  Clam,  Count  Chotek ;  she  also 
attended  balls,  and  plays  in  Czech,  such  as  The  Siege 


BRIBES   FROM  PARIS  155 

of  Prague  by  the  Swedes  or  Bohemian  Loyalty  and 
Courage.  No  pains  were  spared  to  find  congenial 
amusements  for  the  Empress  ;  her  favourite  diversion 
was  riding  with  her  father  who  had  made  her  a  present 
of  the  horse  she  rode.  The  Empress  in  her  turn 
lavished  on  every  one  tokens  of  her  generosity ;  she 
sent  to  Paris  for  flowering  bulbs,  bracelets,  boxes  of 
preserved  fruits,  "  trinkets  containing  a  horse,  three 
saddles  and  all  the  fittings  of  the  harness,"  tables 
with  thirty-six  games  purchased  at  the  Singe  Vert ; 
she  exerted  herself  to  find  out  what  her  friends 
required,  and  presented  them  with  all  the  most 
elegant  Parisian  novelties.  For  instance,  she  com- 
missioned Biennais  to  send  a  dressing-case  costing 
26,000  frs.,  with  others  at  1500,  1200,  and  1000  frs., 
also  an  inkstand  at  13,000  frs.  ;  from  Mugnier,  two 
gold  watches  at  1500  frs.  ;  from  Corbie  and  Gabriel, 
nine  cashmere  shawls  at  prices  ranging  from  3250  to 
1800  frs. ;  she  ordered  from  the  drapers  thirty-nine 
piece  robes,  twenty-five  gowns  from  Leroy,  fifteen  of 
which  were  for  her  stepmother ;  Despaux  provided 
thirty-two  hats  ;  Corot,  Guerin,  and  Vaulont  every 
imaginable  kind  of  trimming  in  artificial  flowers  ; 
Tessier  twenty-four  pairs  of  stockings  at  anything 
from  96  frs.  to  72  frs.  the  pair ;  she  ordered  twenty- 
two  fans  in  all  the  fashions  then  made  in  Paris ;  a 
drawing-room  suite,  chairs  and  arm-chairs  ;  chenilles 
for  embroidering  with  gold  and  silver-gilt  shuttles: 
twelve  dozen  pairs  of  gloves  ;  a  mahogany  bookcase 
enclosing  a  hundred  and  forty-nine  volumes  bound 
in  green  morocco  with  armorial  bearings  for  which 


156  JOURNEY  TO  PEAGUE        [On.  VII 

special  dies  were  engraved.  She  exerted  her  ingenuity 
to  find  corsets,  toys,  bonbons,  and  chocolate  ;  in  fact, 
Paris  was  ransacked  for  her  presents.  Her  total 
expenditure  amounted  to  122,642  frs.  70  c.,  of  which 
the  main  portion  was  for  Maria-Ludovica.  The  latter, 
however,  missed  no  opportunity  of  showing  her 
hostility  to  France  and  her  step-daughter,  and  there 
was  great  difficulty  in  averting  an  open  rupture. 

The  French  suite  were  exhausted  by  their  stay  in 
Prague.  The  long  dinners,  tedious  receptions,  glitter- 
ing illuminations,  endless  concerts,  excursions  in 
carriages  and  the  strenuous  attendance  in  the  salons, 
which  required  a  serious  demeanour,  with  at  the  same 
time  a  keen  watchfulness  against  any  infringement 
of  prerogative.  :t  That  is  approximately  what  these 
much  coveted  pleasures  amount  to."  So  said  one 
who  had  much  wished  to  be  of  the  company. 

The  visit  to  Prague  lasted  a  whole  month,  and  the 
return  was  fixed  for  the  beginning  of  July.  Most  of 
the  Arch-Dukes  had  already  departed,  but  audiences 
still  had  to  be  given  to  the  entire  Austrian  Court. 
Napoleon  admitted  having  satiated  every  one  who 
approached  him  with  diamonds.  The  presents  from 
Marie-Louise  were  not  less  valuable.  Most  of  them 
appeared  under  the  125,000  frs.  charged  in  the  Grand 
Chamberlain's  account ;  in  addition  she  had  emptied 
her  own  purse.  "  I  have  nothing  left  for  private 
expenses,"  she  wrote  to  Mme.  de  Lugay.  "  I  have 
been  obliged  to  give  away  a  great  deal  in  Prague,  but 
shall  economise  next  month  so  as  not  to  be  in  arrears." 

On  July  1,  at  seven  in  the  morning,  Marie-Louise 


RETURN  JOURNEY  TO  FRANCE      157 

departed  with  her  father ;    her  stepmother  and  her 
sisters  accompanied    her  to  the    carriage,  and    the 
procession  set  out  amid  the  ringing  of  bells,  while 
troops  lined  the  route.    It  rained  all  day,  and  they 
were   obliged  to  postpone  their  visit  to  the  gardens 
of  Count  Czernin  at  the  Schonhof.     They  slept  at 
Carlsbad,  where  they  halted  to  look  at  the  curiosities, 
and  on  the  4th,  at  Schonfeld  they  descended  the  tin 
mines ;  on  the  5th  the  night  was  spent  at  Franzbriinn 
near  Egra,  where,  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  the 
Emperor  took  leave  of  his  daughter.    By  midnight 
of  the  same  day,  after  travelling  over  shocking  roads, 
Marie-Louise  reached  Bamberg,  where  the  Duke  of 
Bavaria,  Berthier's  father-in-law,  paid  his  respects  to 
her.    The  Duke,  surrounded  by  all  the  members  of 
the  Bavarian  Government,  had  been  waiting  at  the 
foot  of  the  staircase  of  his  palace  (that  tragic  palace) 
since  six  in  the  evening,  the  hour  appointed,  but  at 
one  in  the  morning  he  had  the  honour  of  dining  with 
her   Majesty.    On    the    7th,    Marie-Louise    was    at 
Wurtzburg,  where  she  found  her  uncle  who  had  been 
her  devoted  companion  from  Dresden,  and  had  only 
preceded  her  for  the  final  preparations.    Marie-Louise 
remained  with  him  a  whole  week,  which  passed  off 
very  happily.    She  spent  her  time  in  sylvan  excur- 
sions, picnics,  and  concerts  in  which  the  Grand  Duke 
exhibited  all  his  talents  as  "  Cantor  of  the  Cathedral." 
Marie-Louise,  however,  was  full  of  fancies,  as  her 
letter  of   July  9  shows.     "My  health  is  very  good 
notwithstanding  a  sharp  pain  in  the  stomach  yester- 
day."   Again  on  the  10th :    "  I  have  great  pain  in 

L 


158  JOUENEY  TO  PRAGUE        [On.  VII 

one  arm,  and  am  packed  up  in  plasters  which  do  not 
sweeten  the  air  of  my  room."  The  plasters  must  have 
been  efficacious,  for  on  the  same  day  she  went  riding, 
held  a  reception,  and  was  present  at  two  acts  of  Le 
Mariage  de  Figaro.  On  the  14th  she  decided  to 
leave,  and  travelled  in  one  day  from  Wurtzburg  to 
Mayence.  On  the  15th  she  left  Mayence,  travelling 
day  and  night,  and  arrived  at  five  in  the  morning  at 
the  Chateau  de  Pange,  where  M.  de  Pange,  her 
Chamberlain  entertained  her  with  the  most  lavish 
and  well-arranged  hospitality.  On  the  1 7th  she  passed 
through  Metz  and  slept  at  Chalons.  On  the  18th,  at 
seven  in  the  evening,  the  cannon  of  the  Invalides 
announced  to  the  Parisians  that  the  Empress  had 
returned  to  Saint-Cloud. 

From  May  9  to  July  18,  two  whole  months  !    Can 
we  say  that  any  one  noticed  her  absence  ? 


CHAPTER  VIII 

JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE,   1812-1813 

THE  existence  led  by  the  Empress  from  July  18th,  the 
day  of  her  return,  to  December  18th,  when  the  Emperor 
arrived  unexpectedly,  was  the  most  monotonous  and 
uneventful  conceivable.  She  was  very  lonely,  almost 
entirely  tete-d-tete  with  Madame  de  Montebello  and 
M.  Corvisart ;  everything  relating  to  ceremonial 
bored  her,  so  that  even  when  convened  by  the  Grand 
Chamberlain  the  Grand  Officers  were  not  sure  of  a 
reception.  Thus,  on  the  19th,  when  they  presented 
themselves  to  offer  congratulations  on  the  journey, 
the  Empress  pleaded  fatigue  and  refused  to  receive 
any  one.  Nevertheless,  according  to  the  orders  left 
by  the  Emperor,  the  Empress  usually  attended  the 
theatre  in  state  on  Thursdays,  and  on  Sundays  Mass, 
followed  by  a  reception  and  diplomatic  audience ; 
on  these  occasions  she  did  her  best,  but  with  little 
success.  She  endeavoured,  on  August  15th,  to  carry 
out  the  programme  planned  by  the  Emperor,  an 
account  of  which  was  given  him  each  day.  As  the 
receptions  became  more  restricted  and  less  frequented, 
she  felt  more  at  ease,  for  the  same  faces  reappeared 
each  time  and  she  became  familiar  with  these  people. 
"  She  does  the  honours  with  much  grace  and  sim- 
plicity. She  plays  billiards  with  the  persons  she 
selects,  .  .  .  and  the  evening  terminates  with  a  concert 

159 


160  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE      [On.  VIII 

or  a  play."  When  still  fewer  people  came,  some  of 
them  were  astonished  at  her  singular  taste  for  coarse- 
ness in  conversation,  but  this  was  quite  usual  in  the 
intimate  circle  of  Madame  de  Montebello. 

Despite  the  attacks  of  fever,  of  which  she  had  at 
least  one  every  three  days,  and  which  she  could  only 
shake  off  by  distracting  herself  with  long  expeditions 
in  the  woods  of  Saint-Cloud,  or  it  may  be  in  conse- 
quence thereof,  she  constantly  thought  of  the  Emperor. 
Without  doubting  his  success,  she  felt  his  absence, 
and  in  order  to  afford  herself  some  distraction,  she 
had  bracelets  made,  which  she  could  wear  constantly 
on  her  arms  inscribed  with  such  names  and  dates  as 
were  connected  with  the  most  important  periods  in 
her  life.  It  was  not  easy  to  decipher  this  enigma  in 
coloured  stones,  but  it  ran  as  follows  : 

Natrolite  Malachite 

Amethyst  Amethyst 

Peridot  Ruby 

Opal  Iris 

Lapis  Emerald 

Emerald  12 

Onyx  Diamond 

Natrolite  Emerald 

15  Chrysoprase 

Agate  Emerald 

Opal  Malachite 

Uranium  Beryl 

Turquoise  Ruby 

1769     in  small  brilliants    Emerald 

1791 


THE  COMING  DISASTER  161 

27  Malachite-Amethyst-Ruby-Serpentine. 
2  Amethyst- Vermeil   (coral) -Ruby-Iris-Labrador, 
1810. 

This  reads :  Napoleon,  15  Aout,  1769.  Marie, 
12  Decembre,  1791.  27  Mars,  2  Avril,  1810. 

So  she  occupied  herself,  ignoring  every- 
thing concerning  France,  even  when  disaster  was 
threatened. 

On  the  day  when,  in  a  fit  of  delirium,  the  before- 
mentioned  General  Malet  escaped  from  the  Maison 
de  Sante,  in  which  he  was  confined,  to  the  Place 
Vendome,  it  was  described  to  her  as  "  An  outbreak 
of  brigands  which  was  immediately  put  down," 
which  had  occurred  during  the  night  in  Paris.  She 
took  no  notice,  but  remarked  to  Cambaceres :  "  What 
could  they  have  done  to  me  ?  "  to  which  he  did  not 
reply.  She  sought  distraction  at  a  party  at  Saint- 
Leu  and  another  at  Maisons,  after  which  she  visited 
the  Salon.  She  wrote  :  "  I  am  not  at  all  alarmed  by 
the  trouble  incited  by  a  handful  of  lunatics  (tetes  folles) , 
for  I  know  too  well  the  good  disposition  of  the  people 
and  their  devotion  to  the  Emperor."  She  attended 
the  theatre,  where  Savary  filled  up  a  few  boxes 
and  seated  some  of  his  people  in  the  audience  to 
provide  sufficient  enthusiasm.  In  time  even  her 
retinue  became  slack,  and  found  excuses  for  absent- 
ing themselves,  until  eventually,  out  of  her  whole 
suite,  one  single  lady  only  remained.  As  for  the 
gentlemen,  "  Their  habit  was  to  gamble  from  morning 
to  night  in  the  Salon  de  service,  and  the  single  lady- 
in-waiting  was  fortunate  if  they  did  not  propose 


162  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE       [On.  VIII 

she  should  amuse  herself  for  a  while  at  trente-et- 
quarante." 

Nevertheless,  the  winter  sojourn  at  Saint-Cloud 
was  a  penance.  On  December  17th  the  Moniteur 
published  the  twenty-ninth  bulletin  which  exploded 
silently,  but  its  effects  disintegrated  everything.  The 
edifice  was  shaken,  every  one  anticipated  its  fall. 
On  the  18th,  at  half-past  eleven  in  the  evening,  as  the 
Empress  had  just  gone  to  bed,  and  the  "  red  "  lady- 
in-waiting  *  was  about  to  close  the  doors  and  retire, 
she  heard  a  noise  in  the  adjacent  salon.  Naturally, 
after  the  episode  of  Malet  she  imagined  assassins. 
At  the  same  moment  the  door  opened  and  two  men 
enveloped  in  fur  pelisses  deliberately  entered.  Mdlle. 
Katzener  shrieking,  rushed  forward,  endeavouring  to 
bar  the  entrance  to  the  bed-chamber ;  but  one  of 
the  men  threw  aside  his  cloak  and  revealed — the 
Emperor ! 

The  Austrian  Alliance,  since  1810,  had  been  the 
primary  consideration  of  the  Emperor's  regime,  for 
he  trusted  implicitly  the  piety  and  honour  of  his 
father-in-law.  "  I  hold  him  in  profound  esteem," 
were  his  very  words.  Having  then  such  an  idea  of 
the  family  he  could  hardly  feel  he  had  been  deceived, 
or  that  in  giving  him  his  beloved  daughter  to  wife, 
an  Emperor,  and  this  Emperor  in  particular,  should 

*  The  six  principal  ladies  (premieres-femmes)  who  attended  the 
Empress  were  known  as  the  femmes  rouges  from  the  colour  of  their 
costume.  Next  in  rank  came  the  femmes  noires  or  wardrobe- women, 
so-called  from  their  black  silk  aprons  ;  below  them  again  the  femmes 
blanches,  or  wardrobe-maids,  with  white  aprons. — V  Impiratrice  Marie 
Louise,  pp.  196  and  203. 


PERFIDY  OF  THE  AUSTRIAN  EMPEROR    163 

have  consciously  endeavoured  to  draw  him  into  the 
abyss.  Napoleon  never  doubted  that  Austria  desired 
a  general  peace  and  claimed  to  intervene  ;  he  recog- 
nised this  and  indeed  desired  it,  but  the  question  was 
whether  Austria  was  working  in  favour  of  France  and 
in  her  interests.  He  undoubtedly  recognised  Austria's 
claim  to  mediate  in  the  ostensible  dispatch  from 
Metternich  to  the  Austrian  Charge  d' Affaires  in  Paris 
(December  9,  1812),  but  he  read  :  "  The  blood  rela- 
tions that  unite  the  two  Imperial  Houses  of  Austria 
and  France  lend  a  particular  character  to  all  over- 
tures made  by  our  august  Master.  .  .  .  The  Emperor 
of  the  French  appears  to  have  anticipated  what  is 
happening  at  this  moment,  in  so  frequently  observing 
to  me  that  the  marriage  had  changed  the  face  of  things 
in  Europe,"  and  the  Emperor  Francis  himself  inter- 
vened to  say,  "  The  moment  has  come  when  I  can 
prove  to  the  Emperor  of  the  French  who  I  am."  Yes, 
indeed ! 

On  December  30,  1812,  also  on  January  20,  1813, 
he  repeated  his  assurances,  either  personally  or  through 
his  Minister :  this  convinced  Napoleon  that  the 
Emperor  of  Austria  was  playing  his  game,  that  the 
combinations  were  settled,  and  that  his  father-in- 
law  could  not  abandon  him  without  dishonouring  and 
disgracing  himself.  What  use  would  there  be  in 
disquieting  his  wife  with  the  propositions  made  to 
the  Court  of  Austria  by  certain  persons  he  had  been 
acquainted  with  in  Dresden  and  in  Prague  ?  What 
was  the  good  of  telling  her  that  her  stepmother 
"  Favours  exclusively  all  the  enemies  of  the  existing 


164  JOUKNEY  TO  MAYENCE      [On.  VIII 

system,  and  that  her  society  is  composed  of  the  most 
ardent  and  most  intrepid  coalitionists  "  ?  What  was 
the  good  of  revealing  to  her  that  Maria-Ludovica,  as 
also  her  brother  Maximilian,  had  been  initiated  into 
the  Secte  des  Amis  de  la  Libert  e  ?  Far  better  to  keep 
up  appearances  by  lavishing  beautiful  garments  on 
la  petite  religieuse.  At  her  step-daughter's  expense 
the  latter  accepted,  in  January,  1813,  1024  frs. 
worth  of  dresses  from  Leroy ;  in  February,  2445  frs. 
50  c.  worth;  in  March,  1937  frs.  worth;  in  May, 
743  frs.  worth ;  in  June,  1025  frs.  worth.  Later 
on  there  would  be  blood  upon  the  garments ! 

As  to  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  in  each  letter  written 
to  him  by  his  daughter,  she  repeated  the  sentiments 
of  his  son-in-law.  The  Emperor  Francis  proclaimed 
his  intention  of  being  represented,  at  the  approaching 
Coronation  of  the  Empress,  by  Prince  Esterhazy, 
"  The  most  important  man  of  his  Court  owing  to  his 
wealth  and  the  extent  of  his  possessions."  At  the 
same  time  he  would  send  Schwarzenberg  to  Paris, 
'  To  give  Europe  striking  proof  of  the  intentions  of 
the  Court  of  Austria,  by  causing  the  Commandant  of 
the  Auxiliary  Corps  to  make  his  appearance  at  the 
Court  of  France,  so  as  to  be  near  his  Chief  and  able 
to  take  orders  from  him." 

Such  was  the  outlook  which,  though  it  may  have 
been  deceptive,  could  hardly  remain  so  for  more  than 
a  few  days  longer.  Was  it  not  possible  that  the 
Emperor,  in  a  game  of  war,  had  sufficient  advantage 
to  give  pause  to  this  Austria,  if  she  became  treacher- 
ous ?  At  any  rate  he  decided  not  to  disturb  the 


NAPOLEON  REALISES  THE  TREACHERY  165 

Empress  ;  but  left  her  so  confident  that  when,  in 
mid- June,  she  heard  of  Metternich's  mission  to  Dresden, 
she  saw  in  it  only  the  definite  consolidation  of  the 
Alliance,  and  wrote  thus  to  her  father  :  "I  may  tell 
the  truth  to  you,  namely,  that  no  tidings  have  given 
me  such  pleasure  as  these,  because  they  have  put  an 
end  to  all  my  fears  and  anxieties.  In  this  I  recognise 
your  goodness,  I  am  extremely  touched  by  it,  and  I 
cannot  sufficiently  express  all  my  gratitude  to  you." 
As  for  the  Emperor,  he  could  not  believe  the  treach- 
ery, but  said  to  Bubna  on  May  16,  "I  have  held  my 
father-in-law  in  great  esteem  ever  since  I  have  known 
him,  he  arranged  this  marriage  with  me  in  the  noblest 
manner  possible.  I  am  most  sincerely  grateful  to 
him,  but  had  the  Emperor  of  Austria  wished  to  change 
his  policy,  he  would  have  been  wiser  not  to  en- 
courage an  alliance  which  I  am  now  obliged  to  regret." 
On  June  26  he  received  Metternich  at  Dresden,  and  the 
scoundrel  whom  he  had  gorged  (but  of  whose  appetite 
he  was  ignorant)  brought  him  the  conditions  upon 
which  Austria  would  consent  not  to  fight  against  him. 
These  were  the  renunciation  of  Illyria,  half  Italy, 
Poland,  Spain,  Holland,  the  Confederation  of  the 
Rhine  and  Switzerland ;  whereupon  he  exclaimed : 
"Is  it  my  father-in-law  who  makes  such  a  project ! 
It  is  he  who  sends  you !  How  does  he  wish  to  make 
me  appear  in  the  eyes  of  the  French  people  ?  "  "  The 
Emperor  only  recognises  his  duties,  and  he  will  fulfil 
them,"  replied  Metternich.  '  Whatever  fortune  may 
be  in  store  for  his  daughter,  the  Emperor  Francis 
is  before  all  else  a  sovereign  and  the  interest  of  his 


166  JOUENEY  TO  MAYENCE      [Cn.  VIII 

subjects  will  always  be  his  first  consideration."  :'  Yes," 
concluded  Napoleon ;  "  what  you  have  said  does  not 
surprise  me.  Everything  points  to  the  fact  that  I 
have  made  an  unpardonable  error.  In  marrying  an 
Arch-Duchess,  I  sought  to  unite  the  present  and  the 
past :  Gothic  prejudices  and  the  institutions  of  my 
era.  I  have  deceived  myself,  and  now  realise  the  extent 
of  my  error." 

All  the  mistakes  he  had  perpetrated  down  to  the 
last,  the  prolongation  of  the  armistice  till  August  10, 
were  made  on  account  of  his  wife,  and  now,  on  the 
eve  of  facing  Europe  with  the  arms  on  which  he  felt 
he  could  place  so  little  reliance,  he  wished  to  see  his 
wife.  The  Arch-Duchess  had  been  his  downfall ;  but 
was  the  wife  responsible  ? 

On  July  16,  he  addressed  a  letter  from  Dresden  to 
Cambaceres,  which  he  calculated  should  reach  Paris 
on  the  20th.  On  the  22nd  it  was  arranged  that  the 
Empress  should  start  in  time  to  reach  Mayence  on 
the  24th.  The  entire  journey  was  planned  with 
minute  care.  He  wrote  : 

"  She  will  take  the  Duchess,  two  Court  ladies, 
two  '  red  '  women,  two  '  black  '  women,  one  Prefet 
du  Palais,  two  chamberlains,  two  equerries,  one  of 
whom  will  leave  twenty-four  hours  earlier  for  Metz 
so  as  to  divide  the  route ;  also  four  pages  will  be 
distributed  along  the  route  to  reduce  the  fatigue  for 
these  young  persons,  her  Secretaire  des  Commande- 
ments  if  he  is  well,  and  her  physician,  will  also  ac- 
company her.  In  addition  she  will  require  a  Com- 
missariat, so  arranged  that  her  table  may  be  well 

\ 


HER  SECOND  DIARY  BEGINS         167 

served,  for  I  shall  take  no  one  with  me,  and  possibly 
several  kings  or  German  princes  may  visit  her.  It 
will,  however,  be  unnecessary  to  bring  the  silver  gilt 
service." 

He  arranged  every  detail,  the  sleeping  quarters, 
the  addresses,  the  post  services,  the  escorts,  every- 
thing it  was  possible  to  foresee.  There  were  eighteen 
officers  and  ladies  and  fifty-one  servants.  All  were 
in  readiness  to  depart  on  the  night  of  the  22nd,  when 
a  letter  arrived  from  the  Emperor  enjoining  twenty- 
four  hours'  delay,  which  Marie-Louise  knew  meant  war, 
for  her  father  had  just  informed  her  that  hostilities 
were  imminent,  to  which  she  replied  : 

"  I  received  your  last  letter  three  days  ago  ;  it 
grieved  me  very  much  because  I  realise  the  last  hope  of 
peace  is  gone.  This  thought  must  be  as  terrible  to  you 
as  to  me.  I  pity  you  inwardly,  my  dear  Papa.  I  am 
persuaded  that  this  war  will  bring  many  misfortunes. 
Count  upon  me,  my  very  dear  Papa,  and  if  I  can  be 
of  any  service  to  you  after  the  issue  of  events,  I  shall 
render  it  very  willingly." 

And  this  is  what  she  wrote  in  her  diary : 

"  It  was  on  the  23rd  of  July  that  I  set  out  upon 
my  journey  to  Mayence.  Never  had  there  been  one 
which  was  undertaken  so  gaily,  the  idea  of  seeing 
the  Emperor  again  after  three  long  months  of  separa- 
tion enchanted  me,  but  I  am  much  afraid  Mme. 
Montesquieu  must  have  said  I  had  a  heart  of  stone 
when  I  took  leave  of  my  son  without  a  tear  (which 
does  not  happen  often). 


168  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE      [On.  VIII 

"  I  left  at  six  in  the  morning  firmly  resolved  to 
travel  day  and  night,  rather  than  not  arrive  at 
Mayence  on  the  25th.  The  road  is  pretty  enough  as 
it  winds  around  Paris ;  on  leaving  the  Barriere  one 
sees  Rincy  (le  Raincy)  on  the  right,  the  park  is  very 
fine  but  the  house  very  small.  The  Emperor  once 
wished  to  present  it  to  me,  but  I  had  the  good  sense 
to  refuse  his  offer  not  wishing  to  occupy  myself  with 
an  estate,  and  was  the  more  pleased  afterwards  when 
I  learned  that  it  only  produced  30,000  frs.,  and  that 
one  is  obliged  to  spend  60,000  frs.  annually  upon  it. 

"  Next  we  passed  the  vast  forest  of  Bondy,  which 
is  very  beautiful.  The  road  as  far  as  La  Ferte-sous- 
Jouarre,  where  we  lunched,  is  extremely  pretty ; 
many  country  houses  and  orchards  are  to  be  seen 
always  against  a  background  of  hills. 

'  We  breakfasted  with  the  postmaster,  who  has 
rather  a  nice  house.  The  road  becomes  continually 
prettier  as  one  approaches  Chateau  Thierry,  which 
lies  a  few  leagues  further  on  ;  the  valley  narrows  until 
we  are  surrounded  by  woods  and  pretty  villages. 
Chateau  Thierry  is  rather  a  badly  built  little  town  ; 
the  road  divides,  one  branch  leads  to  Chalons  and  the 
other  to  Etoges,  the  property  of  the  Duchess's  father. 
She  spoke  to  me  a  good  deal  about  an  estate  called 
St.  Martin  du  Bois  which  is  quite  near  to  Etoges  and 
which  she  wishes  to  buy  to  retire  to  when  her  services 
shall  be  no  longer  needed. 

'  When  she  turns  the  conversation  on  to  this 
subject  I  have  the  greatest  difficulty  in  the  world  to 
prevent  myself  being  angry  with  her.  Nevertheless, 
it  is  true  that  in  the  delightful  society  in  which  we 
live  there  is  always  the  uncertainty  of  the  morrow. 


AN  UNCOMFORTABLE  JOURNEY      169 

The  Sovereign  who  receives  you  well  to-day  and  treats 
you  as  a  friend,  may  exile  and  forget  you  to-morrow, 
therefore,  my  one  prayer  is  that  God  will  grant  that 
I  may  never  have  the  heart  of  a  Sovereign.  Anyway, 
at  present  I  feel  that  if  one  of  my  friends  were  to  fall 
into  disgrace  to-day  he  would  only  be  dearer  to  me. 

"  Afterwards  we  passed  by  the  little  town  of 
Epernay,  which  is  very  pretty  ;  the  Mayor  is  a  wine 
merchant  on  a  large  scale,  and  has  a  fine  house  with 
conservatories  containing  exceedingly  rare  plants. 
This  part  of  the  country  is  more  barren,  there  are 
few  trees  and  many  fields  which  have  nothing  to 
recommend  them.  The  landscape  is  monotonous  as 
far  as  Chalons. 

'  There  were  still  four  leagues  before  reaching 
Chalons-sur-Marne,  where  we  arrived  at  ten  in  the 
evening  very  tired,  the  waggons  and  military  having 
cut  up  the  roads.  Here  I  expected  to  find  a  good 
dinner  and  a  good  bed,  but  nothing  of  the  kind. 

'  The  first  din  Tier  had  apparently  fallen  into  the 
fire,  so  they  served  us  one  which  was  not  cooked, 
which  consisted  of  mutton  smelling  of  goat,  and  roast 
chickens  so  called,  for  I  am  certain  they  were  old 
cocks,  also  eggs  which  were  at  least  eight  to  ten  days 
old  ;  I  should  have  gone  to  bed  fasting  had  they  not 
brought  me  some  sour  cream,  which  I  fell  upon,  and 
had  an  indigestion  which  called  forth  some  fine 
lectures  from  the  Chevalier  Bourdier,  but  I  do  not 
fear  them  like  those  of  M.  Corvisart. 

"  I  had  scarcely  got  into  bed  when  I  heard  a  horrible 
noise  of  big  drums  and  tambourines  which  had  estab- 
lished themselves  under  my  windows,  and  which,  in 
spite  of  my  entreaties,  remained  there  till  one  o'clock 


170  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE      [On.  VIII 

in  the  morning.  I  was  lodged  at  the  Prefecture  with 
the  Chevalier  de  Jessaint,  who  is  a  very  worthy  man, 
but  has  the  misfortune  to  have  a  daughter  who  is 
out  of  her  mind.  There  is  a  pretty  garden  in  front  of 
his  windows. 

''  The  town  of  Chalons  is  not  pretty  and  has  not 
much  commerce. 

"  On  the  24th  before  leaving,  I  received  the 
authorities  en  passant,  and  at  six  o'clock  was  in  the 
carriage  but  without  desiring  to  travel  day  and  night, 
as  the  adventures  of  the  previous  evening  had  ex- 
hausted me.  The  country  is  charming  as  far  as 
Clermont,  where  we  breakfasted ;  there  are  hills  and 
orchards,  fields,  and  pretty  villages. 

"  On  entering  the  little  town  of  Clermont  I  was 
agreeably  surprised  to  meet  M.  de  St.  Aulaire,  the 
Prefet,  Chamberlain  to  the  Emperor,  one  of  my  old 
acquaintances,  who  is  an  excellent  man  and  extremely 
amiable.  He  talks  wonderfully  well,  but  is  a  little 
too  pretentious,  and  I  never  found  myself  able  to 
keep  up  a  long  conversation  with  him,  but  I  like  to 
listen  to  him.  I  was  especially  pleased  to  see  him 
because  it  was  quite  a  surprise.  We  conversed 
together  during  breakfast  at  which  I  also  saw  the 
Mayor  of  Clermont  who  seems  to  be  a  clever  young 
man ;  he  never  forgets  to  recite  a  discourse  in  verse 
when  we  pass  by  this  place. 

'  The  environs  appeared  to  be  very  pretty.  They 
are  densely  wooded  and  M.  de  St.  Aulaire  told  me  there 
were  some  charming  walks.  I  got  into  my  carriage 
immediately,  and  after  passing  Dombaslewe  arrived 
at  the  descent  to  Verdun,  which  is  pretty  steep,  from 
which  one  sees  Verdun  and  all  the  surrounding 


HER  ADOPTED  CHILD  171 

country,  which  looks  very  ugly.  Whilst  we  were 
passing  over  the  heights,  I  noticed  a  number  of 
English,  who  are  recognisable  from  their  appearance 
and  impertinent  manner.  There  was  one  who  at- 
tracted our  attention,  he  was  holding  a  very  pretty 
little  boy  by  the  hand,  who  had  the  most  beautiful 
fair  hair. 

'  There  are  more  than  900  English  prisoners,  all 
officers.  The  little  girls  presented  me  with  a  basket 
of  bonbons  while  we  were  changing  horses.  Verdun 
is  renowned  for  its  sweetmeats.  In  passing  through 
Maubeuge  I  made  inquiries  as  to  what  had  become  of 
the  little  girl  whom  I  had  adopted  the  year  before, 
and  whose  parents  had  so  shamefully  abandoned  her 
to  the  foster-mother.  I  was  told  that  as  soon  as  they 
learned  I  intended  to  give  her  an  allowance,  they  had 
come  to  fetch  her. 

:<  The  road  is  very  ugly  till  within  a  league  of 
Metz. 

"  I  admired  the  fine  road  that  the  Emperor  had 
made  over  the  hill ;  one  cannot  really  take  a  step 
without  coming  across  some  benefit  or  great  work 
ordered  by  the  Emperor. 

"  Half  a  league  along  the  Moselle  one  reaches 
Metz.  The  city  has  a  melancholy  and  ancient 
appearance.  Many  buildings  of  which  one  sees  the 
ruins  have  been  destroyed  or  bu  ned,  and  the  fortifi- 
cations do  not  help  to  enliven  the  place.  There  are 
from  30,000  to  40,000  inhabitants.  I  was  lodged  at 
the  Prefecture  in  an  apartment  that  the  Emperor  had 
occupied  last  time.  We  arrived  at  nine  o'clock.  After 
dinner  I  received  the  authorities. 

"  I  met  again  with  pleasure  the  Comte  de  Pange, 


172  JOUENEY  TO  MAYENCE      [On.  VIII 

Chamberlain,  who  is  now  in  the  Garde  d'Honneur. 
He  has  nearly  always  been  in  waiting  on  me  since  my 
arrival  in  France,  but  is  a  man  of  no  brilliant  qualities, 
although  having  much  good  sense  and  firmness,  and 
is  an  excellent  man  in  all  respects.  I  was  sorry  when 
he  left  us  because  I  readily  accustom  myself  to  those 
who  are  about  me  when  they  are  worthy,  also  I 
dislike  new  faces,  and  become  attached  with  difficulty, 
but  when  I  have  a  friendship  for  any  one  it  is  for  life. 

"  Prince  Aldobrandini  made  me  angry  by  saying 
I  could  not  depart  next  morning  before  six  o'clock. 
Knowing  I  had  56  leagues  to  travel,  I  was  in  despair 
to  think  I  might  not  arrive  until  after  the  Emperor. 
I  attempted  to  show  him  the  possibility  of  starting 
at  four  o'clock,  but  he  was  obstinate,  and  my  resolu- 
tion, although  worthy  of  a  Bretonne,  was  obliged  to 
yield  to  his. 

"  The  country  as  far  as  Saarbourg  where  we  took 
breakfast  is  very  pretty  with  many  wooded  hills 
from  which  there  are  some  lovely  prospects.  This 
fine  metalled  road  from  Metz  which  the  Emperor 
made  cost  much  money.  Formerly  it  took  more  than 
60  hours  to  travel  to  Mayence  through  the  sand, 
whereas  now,  when  the  surface  is  good,  one  can  reach 
it  in  17  hours. 

"  The  road,  however,  was  as  bad  as  the  weather, 
it  rained  in  torrents.  The  distance  from  Metz  to 
Saarbruck  is  17  leagues,  through  woods  and  valleys, 
where  there  are  many  foundries  and  manufactories, 
especially  between  Saarbruck,  Forbach,  Homburg, 
Bruckruhlbach,  and  Landsthul  as  far  as  Kaiserslautern, 
a  very  dirty  little  town. 

"  After  Saarbruck  nothing  is  spoken  but  German, 


ARRIVAL  AT  MAYENCE  173 

In  the  background  to  the  left  one  sees  Mount  Tonnerre, 
which  is  usually  enveloped  in  clouds.  The  road  leads 
through  woods  of  green  trees.  I  prefer  these  to  other 
trees,  which  I  think  give  a  melancholy  touch  to  the 
landscape. 

'  We  dined  at  nine  in  the  evening  at  Kirchen 
Boland  in  a  splendid  mansion,  belonging  to  a  merchant 
from  Frankfort,  who  is  reported  to  have  an  income  of 
£100,000  per  annum.  The  park  must  be  pretty  and 
the  house  is  furnished  as  luxuriously  as  any  of  the 
largest  in  Paris.  The  rain  poured  incessantly,  and 
we  still  had  15  leagues  to  travel.  I  lay  down  as  best 
I  could  in  the  carriage,  but  we  advanced  so  slowly 
that  we  were  still  a  league  from  Mayence  at  four  in 
the  morning.  I  then  saw  before  me  all  the  mountains 
of  the  Rheingau  and  the  Hunsrucken,  and  at  five 
o'clock  we  entered  the  first  gate  of  the  fortifications 
of  Mayence.  Everybody  was  tired  of  waiting  for  us, 
so  had  gone  to  bed,  and  I  was  much  pleased  when  on 
leaving  the  carriage,  General  Fouler  brought  me  a 
letter  in  which  the  Emperor  told  me  he  should  not 
arrive  before  the  day  of  the  27th.  I  cast  myself  at 
once  upon  my  bed,  but  could  not  sleep. 

"  I  am  lodged  in  the  same  house  and  in  the  same 
apartment  as  during  my  last  visit,  but  it  has  been 
refurnished  and  is  much  improved ;  formerly,  one 
was  devoured  by  bugs.  I  have  a  view  over  the 
Bridge  of  Boats  and  the  mountains  of  Wiesbaden 
and  to  the  right  over  a  mountain  named  the  Meli- 
bocus  15  leagues  away,  upon  which  there  is  a  Roman 
tower.  The  mills  are  in  front  of  my  windows  and 
make  an  insufferable  noise.  Outside  my  sitting-room 
there  is  a  little  terrace  where  one  can  walk  during  the 

M 


174  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE     [On.  VIII 

great  heat.  I  spent  the  whole  of  the  next  day  at  the 
window  watching  the  Bridge  of  Boats  and  the  road  to 
Frankfort,  for  knowing  the  Emperor  must  come  that 
way  I  thought  he  might  very  likely  surprise  me  by 
arriving  on  the  26th.  My  watching  was  in  vain,  so 
I  went  to  bed  dying  of  sleep.  Every  one  was  so  tired 
that  when  the  Emperor  did  arrive  he  came  through 
all  the  salons  in  which  the  page  and  my  women  slept 
without  any  one  hearing  him.  I  will  not  attempt  to 
describe  the  joy  I  felt  at  seeing  him  again,  that  cannot 
be  written  but  only  felt.  He  looked  well  and  in  very 
good  spirits. 

"  I  spent  the  whole  morning  of  the  27th  at  home 
and  received  the  authorities.  The  mayor  told  me 
there  was  scarcely  any  trade  now  at  Mayence.  The 
city  suffered  a  great  deal  during  the  first  wars,  one 
can  still  see  bullet  marks  on  all  the  houses.  Since 
the  Emperor's  reign,  however,  the  population  has 
increased ;  there  are  now  as  many  as  40,000  in- 
habitants. The  Prefet  is  an  old  man,  by  name 
M.  Jambon  St.  Andre. 

"  In  the  evening  I  took  a  short  walk  along  the  road 
to  Frankfort ;  this  is  not  a  pleasant  route  as  it  necessi- 
tates passing  the  Bridge  of  Boats  and  Fort  Cassel 
(Castel),  which  is  opposite  Mayence,  and  the  road 
thither  is  detestable.  The  country  is  beautiful,  one 
walks  in  alleys  of  fruit  trees  and  fields,  all  the  time 
looking  on  to  the  high  mountains  of  the  Rheingau. 

'  We  had  company  to  dinner,  among  whom  was 
Marechal  Kellerman ;  the  wine  made  him  rather 
lively,  and  he  insisted  that  I  ought  to  drink  a  great 
deal ;  however,  he  gained  my  esteem  that  day  because 
he  had  the  courage  to  tell  the  Emperor  several  times 


PRINCE  AND  PRINCESS  OF  NASSAU     175 

that  he  was  doing  an  injustice  in  not  giving  the  Cross 
to  an  engineer  whom  he  named.  I  do  not  know 
whether  he  always  speaks  the  truth  like  this,  or  whether 
the  wine  gave  him  this  frankness. 

"  On  the  28th  the  heat  was  still  appalling.  In 
the  morning  I  received  a  visit  from  the  old  Prince  de 
Nassau  with  his  wife  and  the  two  princesses,  his 
daughters.  The  mother  is  very  witty,  but  the  two 
princesses  are  hideous.  The  eldest,  who  is  as  fat  as 
Prince  Schwarzenberg,  had  only  been  married  three 
days  to  a  Prince  of  Baden,  when  she  was  divorced 
from  him  because  she  had  an  infatuation  for  one  of 
her  father's  grooms ;  as  for  the  younger,  I  hardly 
know  what  to  say,  for  she  shows  no  intelligence,  nor 
does  she  utter  more  than  a  couple  of  words  during 
the  day.  Some  one  who  knows  this  Court  told  me 
that  during  the  six  years  he  had  known  her  he  had 
never  yet  heard  her  voice.  They  have  another 
daughter  who  is  out  of  her  mind,  who  threw  herself 
into  the  Rhine  last  year,  and  I  am  very  much  afraid 
that  the  little  princess  will  shortly  do  the  same. 

"  I  went  in  the  evening  to  Wiesbaden  Baths  which 
are  three  leagues  from  Mayence.  I  followed  the  same 
road  as  the  evening  before  to  a  village  in  another 
direction  ;  in  the  distance,  in  an  obscure  and  romantic 
valley,  can  be  seen  the  rock  which  bears  the  ruin  of 
Sonneck,  a  castle  of  the  Emperor  Adolf  of  Nassau, 
in  which  he  hid  his  mistress  and  where  his  hound  came 
to  seek  her  to  lead  her  to  the  field  of  battle  on  which 
his  master  had  perished.  Wiesbaden  is  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountains.  A  number  of  new  houses  are  being 
built  in  the  town.  The  baths,  which  are  beneficial 
for  wounds  and  rheumatism,  are  much  frequented, 


176  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE      [On.  VIII 

especially  by  Poles.  The  Assembly-room  is  very  fine 
and  worthy  of  a  large  capital ;  it  has  a  small  garden 
prettily  laid  out  with  a  sheet  of  water.  The  view  on 
the  return  journey  is  superb.  The  Rhine,  the  town 
of  Mayence,  and  the  Malibocus  with  its  white  tower, 
lie  to  the  left,  while  on  the  right  are  the  mountains 
which  I  intend  to  explore. 

"  I  found  the  Emperor  at  Cassel  visiting  the  fortifi- 
cations :  we  embarked  upon  the  Rhine,  then  had 
a  beautiful  walk  while  the  sun  was  setting.  We 
returned  by  carriage  along  the  right  bank  of  the  Rhine, 
which  is  the  promenade  of  the  Mayengois. 

"  After  dinner  at  ten  o'clock  the  Emperor  proposed 
a  walk  upon  the  terrace.  In  vain  I  suggested  my  short 
sleeves  were  not  in  keeping  with  the  recommendations 
of  my  doctor.  He  grew  angry  and  called  physic  and 
physicians  fools,  and  I  was  constrained  to  obey,  which 
gave  me  an  attack  of  rheumatism  in  the  right  arm. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  29th  I  received  the  Grand 
Duke  and  Grand  Duchess  of  Hesse-Darmstadt  and 
her  brother.  The  Grand  Duchess  must  have  been 
very  beautiful ;  she  is  fifty  years  old,  and  with  the  aid 
of  a  little  rouge  and  white  powder  is  still  handsome  ; 
though  very  large  and  stout  she  is  well  made,  she 
converses  well  and  apparently  is  clever.  The  Emperor 
has  since  told  me  I  was  quite  right,  that  she  was  very 
clever,  and  some  years  ago  endeavoured  to  incite  the 
Grand  Duke  against  the  Emperor,  but  the  latter 
perceived  it,  and  compelled  the  Grand  Duke  to  exile 
a  young  emigre  who  was  more  than  a  friend  to  the 
Grand  Duchess,  who  did  all  she  could  to  get  him 
back ;  the  Emperor  was  inexorable,  since  when, 
fearing  a  similar  fate  might  await  his  successor,  she 


HER  WISH  TO  PLEASE  NAPOLEON    177 

has  been  charming  to  the  Emperor,and  now  endeavours 
to  render  him  all  the  services  in  her  power. 

"  I  saw  also  the  Prince  of  Nassau  and  the  Prince 
of  Isenbourg.  The  Emperor  fortunately  put  an  end 
to  all  these  visits  and  came  to  spend  the  morning  with 
me  as  hitherto.  I  read  to  him  out  of  Gil  Bias  ;  he  asked 
for  the  part  about  Doctor  Sangrado,  which  amused 
him  very  much  ;  I  laugh  at  it  but  only  in  secret, 
having  a  profound  respect  for  doctors  and  being  far 
too  frightened  of  all  drugs  (especially  those  of 
M.  Bourdier)  to  call  down  their  vengeance  upon  me. 

"  I  went  to  see  Biberich,  the  residence  of  the  Duke 
of  Nassau ;  it  is  on  the  same  side  as  Wiesbaden,  on 
the  bank  of  the  Rhine ;  the  castle  is  very  large  but 
Gothic.  The  Prince  and  his  eldest  daughter  showed 
me  the  garden.  They  have  made  the  old  castle  very 
pretty  and  furnished  it  inside  in  modern  style.  They 
made  me  sit  upon  a  couch  which  was  not  very  com- 
fortable and  told  me  there  was  a  bath  underneath,  I 
rather  suspect  it  was  something  else !  They  served 
us  with  sour  cream,  politeness  compelled  me  to 
swallow  a  mouthful,  but  the  same  thing  nearly 
happened  to  me  as  to  the  painter  in  William  Pikle, 
when  the  doctor  in  the  repast  a  la  romaine  forced  him 
to  eat  a  hash  of  glow-worms  and  asafcetida. 

'  We  had  the  Grand  Duke  and  Grand  Duchess  of 
Hesse-Darmstadt  to  dinner ;  the  Emperor  lectured  me 
severely  because  I  was  not  ready  when  she  arrived. 
I  dread  nothing  more  than  to  see  the  Emperor  angry 
with  me,  but  would  sooner  die  than  give  him  the 
pleasure  of  witnessing  my  pain  by  crying  on  account 
of  his  reproaches,  so  I  restrain  my  grief  until  the 
Emperor  is  out  of  the  room. 


178  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE      [Cn.  VIII 

"  On  the  30th,  the  Grand  Duke  of  Baden  and  the 
Prince  Primate  came  to  see  me  in  the  morning ;  how 
tedious  these  visits  are,  these  demonstrations  of 
friendship  for  people  for  whom  one  does  not  care  are 
terrible !  It  must,  however,  be  noticeable  in  my 
expression,  for  on  meeting  my  friends,  I  am  talkative 
enough  to  be  choked  by  the  words  I  wish  to  say, 
whereas  with  other  people  I  find  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty in  the  world  in  framing  a  single  sentence. 

'  The  heat  was  intense  all  day ;  in  the  evening  I 
made  an  excursion  with  the  Emperor  in  a  boat.  We 
ascended  the  Main  which  flows  into  the  Rhine  a  short 
way  above  the  last  fortifications ;  the  evening  was 
magnificent,  every  one  was  gay  except  myself,  for 
this  was  the  evening  before  the  departure  of  the 
Emperor. 

'  We  had  company  to  dinner.  The  Prince  Primate 
is  very  amiable.  After  dinner  he  told  me  some  amusing 
anecdotes  more  worthy  of  a  lieutenant  than  of  a  Prince 
of  the  Church.  They  made  every  one  laugh,  but  are 
too  droll  to  be  written  here. 

;<  The  weather  was  rather  uncertain  on  the  31st. 
I  spent  the  morning  with  the  Emperor  and  endea- 
voured to  be  cheerful.  At  eight  o'clock  I  took  a  little 
walk  in  a  pretty  wood  of  fir  trees  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Rhine.  The  weather  became  very  stormy  and 
we  could  scarcely  see  the  mountains,  which  made  us 
foretell  bad  weather  for  our  voyage  upon  the  Rhine. 
In  the  evening  the  Emperor  received  a  great  many 
people.  As  it  was  the  eve  of  his  departure,  he  also 
had  an  important  discussion  with  the  Prince  Primate 
about  the  woods  of  Spessart  that  the  latter  wished  to 
sell  to  him. 


NAPOLEON'S  DEPARTURE     179 

"  On  the  1st,  after  Mass,  the  Emperor  decided  to 
depart  immediately.  The  equipages  could  not  be 
ready  before  four  o'clock.  I  was  obliged  to  attend 
the  dinner  to  which  he  had  invited  all  his  household, 
but  have  now  learned  to  control  myself  so  as  to  assume 
a  cheerful  countenance ! 

"  I  endeavoured  to  be  calm  until  the  Emperor 
entered  his  carriage  as  he  felt  too  much  grief  at 
parting  for  me  to  add  to  his  distress.  My  courage 
upon  this  occasion  satisfied  me ;  however,  I  might 
have  done  better,  for  I  recollect  having  had  a  great 
sorrow  some  time  ago  which  I  disguised  so  well  that 
the  Emperor  said  to  me,  *  I  do  not  know  you,  you  are 
too  sprightly  to-day.'  It  took  all  my  pride  to  deceive 
him,  and  I  paid  dearly  for  it  afterwards,  for  I  suffered 
for  a  long  time. 

"  The  evening  passed  very  sadly,  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  I  shall  not  have  many  such  in  my  life.  I  gave 
orders  for  my  departure  next  day,  it  was  so  lonely 
at  Mayence. 

"  On  the  1st  of  August,  at  nine  in  the  morning,  I 
went  on  board  the  yacht,  which  really  had  the  appear- 
ance of  a  small  man-of-war  ;  there  were  three  cabins, 
a  saloon,  a  bedroom,  and  a  dining-room,  besides 
several  other  closets.  I  went  up  on  the  deck  im- 
mediately where  a  fine  awning  had  been  prepared 
for  us.  The  yacht  belongs  to  the  Prince  of  Nassau, 
who  lent  it  to  me  and  sent  me  his  Grand  Ecuyer, 
Grand  Marechal,  Grand  Veneur,  Grand  Chambellan 
(the  same  person  holds  all  these  offices)  to  accompany 
me.  This  did  not  prevent  my  ladies  ridiculing  the 
princesses  before  him.  Their  behaviour  made  me 
very  indignant,  only  the  Duchess  refrained,  but  she 


180  JOUKNEY  TO  MAYENCE      [On.  VIII 

is  a  perfect  woman,  such  as  there  never  was  before. 
The  yacht,  carried  along  by  the  current,  travelled 
fairly  fast.  We  made  a  league  in  the  hour. 

"  Mayence  receded  by  degrees,  until  we  passed 
before  Biberich  (Biebrich),  the  castle  of  which,  seen 
from  the  Rhine,  has  an  imposing  aspect.  The  two 
Princes  of  Nassau  came  to  bid  us  farewell.  Many 
boats  with  music,  and  others  with  cannon,  resounded 
over  the  Rhine.  I  confess  I  could  have  done  very 
well  without  the  latter,  but  the  former,  in  con- 
junction with  the  important  places  which  we  passed, 
made  our  whole  cruise  so  romanesgue  and  romantic, 
it  stirred  my  imagination.  My  thoughts  were  carried 
back  to  olden  times,  and  pictured  the  ancient  castles, 
in  all  their  splendour,  inhabited  by  brave  lords  and 
fair  ladies. 

'  The  condition  of  women,  however,  was  not  as 
agreeable  then  as  now,  for  they  had  often  only  one 
room  for  their  family,  and  to  me  a  fine  apartment  is 
one  of  the  pleasures  of  life. 

"  Near  Biberich  are  some  very  pretty  islands  in 
the  Rhine  which  is  very  broad  there ;  on  the  left 
lies  a  plain,  while  on  the  right  are  high  mountains 
in  the  distance,  with  vine-covered  hills  in  the  fore- 
ground. We  passed  Walluf  where  the  Rheingau 
connects,  before  which  is  the  village  of  Scheisten 
(Schierstein)  where  are  the  country  houses  of  Count 
Stadion.  Ellfold  (Eltville)  a  pretty  little  town  with 
an  ancient  Gothic  tower,  is  upon  the  same  bank. 

'  Upon  the  left  bank  is  the  fringe  of  the  forests 
of  pine  trees  which  dwindle  away  in  the  landes  near 
Ingelheim.  Near  Eltville  is  the  village  of  Esbarck 
(Esbach)  which  contains  a  Carthusian  Monastery 


HISTORICAL  REMINISCENCES         181 

half  destroyed,  lying  in  a  delightful  valley  in  the 
mountains.  We  were  told  it  had  once  been  very 
rich,  and  the  church  is  said  to  contain  many  fine 
tombs.  On  the  left  side  we  were  able  to  see  Tulpheim 
on  a  hill  in  the  distance.  What  recollections  this  city 
calls  up  !  Nothing  now  remains  of  its  former  great- 
ness but  a  few  ruins !  There  is  not  a  vestige  of  the 
Palace  of  Charlemagne. 

"  On  the  island  in  the  Rhine,  Louis  le  Debonnaire 
died,  and  here  Henry  IV.  Emperor  of  Germany  was 
despoiled  of  his  crown.  Here  also  Emma,  during  a 
dark  night,  bore  Eginard  upon  her  shoulders  through 
the  snow,  to  conceal  the  print  of  his  footsteps  from 
Charlemagne.  I  think  nothing  is  more  interesting 
than  a  journey  which  recalls  historical  reminiscences. 

"  Near  Hatteheim  (Hattenheim)  is  another  splen- 
did view ;  the  best  Rhine  wines  are  grown  near 
Ostreich  (Ostrich)  and  Mittelheim.  While  passing 
these  places  we  took  breakfast  on  board  the  yachfc. 
Here  the  hill  called  Johannesberg,  which  belongs  to 
the  Duke  of  Valmy  (it  was  formerly  the  demesne  of 
an  abbey),  is  planted  with  vines  from  top  to  bottom, 
and  produces  400,000  frs.  worth  of  excellent  wine  ; 
the  view  from  it  is  said  to  be  magnificent.  The 
Convent  of  the  Nuns,  called  the  Gottesthal,  is  con- 
cealed in  an  obscure  and  picturesque  valley ;  its 
solitude  is  supreme,  and  it  is  well  situated  for  its 
purpose,  whether  as  a  retreat  for  meditation,  or  if 
one  should  wish  to  be  alone  when  in  distress.  I 
feel  that  were  I  to  experience  great  misfortunes  or 
losses,  I  would  willingly  bury  myself  in  this  convent. 

"  We  passed  by  Geissenheim  (Geisenheim),  a  pretty 
little  town ;  between  it  and  Riidesheim  there  is  a 


182  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE      [On.  VIII 

magnificent  abbey  called  Enbingen  (Eibingen)  (now 
abandoned)  situated  on  a  mountain,  where  they  used 
to  show  the  ring  of  an  Abbess  Hildegarde,  famed  for 
her  prophecies  and  writings,  which  bore  the  motto  '  I 
love  to  suffer.'  This  made  me  feel  less  virtuous  than 
her,  for  I  should  not  choose  that  device. 

"  At  this  place  the  Rhine  widens  considerably, 
forming  a  basin  before  it  plunges  into  the  gorge  of 
Bingen.  To  the  left  is  the  Mountain  of  St.  Roch 
(Rochusberg)  and  on  the  right  Riidesheim  with  its 
ruins.  On  our  arrival  we  found  a  book  on  the  table, 
from  which  we  learnt  that  in  the  old  castle  the  por- 
traits of  the  Bromser  family  are  preserved.  This 
family  flourished  in  938.  This  was  enough  to  tempt 
any  one  even  less  curious  than  ourselves,  so  we 
resolved  unanimously  to  go  and  see  them.  The  heat 
was  dreadful  and  the  wind  against  us,  so  we  were 
obliged  to  beat  about  for  an  hour  before  we  could 
reach  our  destination.  We  climbed  up  the  mountain 
courageously  and  saw  the  ruins  of  an  old  castle,  of 
little  importance,  built  in  the  time  of  the  Romans, 
but  with  no  gateway.  You  may  imagine  our  fury  at 
having  been  put  out  of  breath  for  nothing.  When 
we  reached  the  yacht  we  were  told  that  the  portraits 
were  about  300  paces  away,  but  disappointed  by  our 
first  experience,  we  contented  ourselves  with  the 
description  and  went  on  another  tack. 

"  We  were  still  an  hour  from  Bingen  where  we 
entered  the  gorge.  On  the  heights  are  some  delightful 
pleasure  gardens  belonging  to  a  German  Count.  The 
wind  became  so  strong  that  we  were  continually 
driven  back,  and  it  was  necessary  to  double  the  crew 
to  manreuvre  the  vessel. 


LEGENDS  OF  THE   RHINE  183 

"  In  the  meantime  I  amused  myself  by  telling 
General  Caffarelly  that  there  were  some  rocks  near 
Bingen  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water  on  which 
boats  were  very  easily  wrecked.  This  put  him  into 
such  a  state  that  I  expected  him  to  suggest  walking 
the  remaining  ten  leagues.  It  is  true  that  there  are 
rocks  near  Bingen  which  cause  certain  eddies,  but  they 
have  been  blasted  and  are  now  much  less  dangerous. 

"  A  wonderful  ghost  story,  connected  with  the 
Castle  of  Riidesheim,  is  told  about  a  young  girl  who 
threw  herself  into  the  Ehine  and  still  appears  lament- 
ing, but  it  is  too  long  to  write  here. 

"  A  convent  of  Capucins  called  Nothgottes  is  here, 
containing  the  horns  of  the  ox  of  Jean  Bromser  and 
the  chains  worn  by  him  when  prisoner  in  the  Holy 
Land.  To  the  left  at  the  place  where  the  Rhine 
becomes  narrower,  one  can  see  the  town  of  Bingen 
with  the  old  castle  of  Ehranfels  (Ehrenfels)  standing 
over  it.  All  the  cities  on  the  Rhine  seem  to  be  ancient 
and  badly  built,  having  narrow  and  dirty  streets  and 
no  trade.  The  left  bank  belongs  to  the  Emperor,  and 
the  right  to  the  Prince  of  Nassau- (Weil)  Wilbourg, 
who  was  with  us  in  Paris.  The  Rhine  turns  suddenly 
and  breaks  against  the  rocks  as  far  as  the  spot  where 
the  Nahe  flows  into  it. 

''  This  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  spots,  and 
the  valley  of  the  Nahe  is  charming.  A  delightful 
feature  is  a  stone  bridge.  Near  the  old  Castle  of 
Kloppe  (Klopp)  are  the  ruins  of  the  convent  of 
Ruppertberg  (Ruppertsberg)  upon  a  mountain  of  the 
same  name,  where  Hildegarde  wrote  her  prophecies, 
and  hollowed  out  a  tomb  and  a  well  with  her  own 
hand  in  1148.  For  some  distance  the  difference 


184  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE      [Cn.  VIII 

between  the  waters  of  the  Nahe  and  those  of  the 
Rhine  is  quite  noticeable.  The  former  are  yellow, 
and  the  latter  of  a  greenish  colour. 

"  From  here  one  sees  the  Mouse  Tower,  built  upon 
a  rock  projecting  into  the  river  ;  legend  tells  us  that 
Archbishop  Hatto  of  Mayence  was  devoured  by  mice 
for  having  refused  to  give  corn  to  the  poor  during  a 
famine.  It  is  almost  destroyed  and  serves  as  a  light- 
house to  show  the  famous  rocks  which  caused  the 
panic  of  General  Caffarelli. 

''  The  country  now  begins  to  have  a  wild  appear- 
ance, the  plain  becomes  more  confined,  and  if  only 
the  mountains  were  more  wooded,  this  landscape 
would  be  extremely  beautiful.  After  the  twists  and 
turns  which  the  Rhine  makes  here,  Asmanshausen 
(Assmannshausen)  comes  into  view  with  numbers  of 
old  castles  on  the  summit  of  the  mountains  ;  then  on 
the  left  are  Bautzberg  (Vauts-)  and  Kneiptein 
(Konigstein),  while  on  the  other  side  is  Falkenberg. 
I  was  told  a  red  wine  is  grown  near  Asmanshausen 
which  has  the  same  flavour  as  Burgundy. 

"  I  much  regretted  not  being  able  to  stay  to  make 
excursions  into  all  the  beautiful  valleys  of  which 
one  here  gets  glimpses.  They  are  rilled  with  convents 
of  nuns,  on  this  side  is  that  of  Athensen  beneath 
the  ruins  of  Sooneck.  Upon  the  left  bank  are  seen 
the  smiling  villages  of  Dreickshausen  and  Nieder- 
heimbach,  to  the  right  is  the  ruin  of  Lorch,  the  frontier 
of  the  Rheingau.  This  ruin  is  built  upon  a  mass  of 
inaccessible  rocks,  crowned  by  an  ancient  castle,  of 
which  it  is  said  that  the  chatelaine  who  inhabited  it 
made  a  vow  not  to  marry  any  knight  unless  he  should 
ride  up  on  horseback.  A  dozen  broke  their  necks  in 


WOMEN  IN  THE  MIDDLE  AGES       185 

the  attempt ;  there  was  one,  however,  who  made  a 
compact  with  the  devil  and  succeeded.  He  married  the 
lady  and  did  so  many  good  deeds  that  the  devil  dared 
not  come  to  fetch  him  at  the  time  appointed  ! 

:<  The  mountains  become  less  elevated  towards 
Steinbach  and  the  ruins  of  Furstenberg  and  Stahleck 
and  Bacharach  are  seen  on  the  righb  bank  of  the 
Rhine  :  it  was  formerly  an  Imperial  City.  Near  by 
there  is  an  altar  in  the  Rhine  which  the  Romans 
dedicated  to  Bacchus,  only  to  be  seen  at  low  water. 
The  town  is  dominated  by  the  ancient  castle  of 
Stahleck.  The  wind  here  became  so  strong  that  our 
yacht  was  turned  about  at  least  a  dozen  times,  at  the 
same  time  it  became  excessively  cold,  so  everybody 
went  below.  I  remained  on  deck  at  the  risk  of  catch- 
ing a  fever,  to  contemplate  the  beauties  of  nature  : 
moreover  to  disobey  my  doctor  delighted  me  !  The 
Rhine  widens  again  very  much  here,  and  one  appears 
to  be  in  a  sort  of  lake,  in  the  midst  of  which  is  the 
square  Pfloz  (Pfalz)  built  on  a  rock,  without  any 
entrance  except  a  trap-door,  with  little  loopholes  for 
windows.  According  to  the  old  records,  this  is  where 
the  Palatine  Countesses  were  obliged  to  pass  the  period 
of  their  pregnancy  and  confinement,  in  an  apartment 
consisting  of  a  triangular  chamber  where  one  would 
not  even  lodge  one's  waiting-maid.  How  miserable 
the  condition  of  those  poor  women  must  have  been 
in  that  age  of  barbarism !  It  is  not  even  now  very 
agreeable  but  I  would  not  change  with  our  great 
grandmothers. 

"  The  town  of  Caub  with  its  old  fortress  of  Gutenfels 
is  noticeable  on  the  right,  from  the  windows  of  which 
Gustavus  Adolphus  gave  orders  to  repel  the  assault 


186  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE     [On.  VIII 

of  the  Spaniards.  It  is  said  the  scenery  in  the 
country  about  a  league  from  Caub  is  very  beautiful. 
Next  comes  Oberwesel  on  the  left  bank  with  the 
ancient  ruin  of  Schonberg,  whose  founder  belonged 
to  the  Belmont  family.  On  looking  back  from  here 
one  obtains  a  beautiful  view  of  Caub  and  the  square 
tower.  The  industry  of  the  inhabitants  in  cultivating 
their  vines  on  every  inch  of  ground  is  incredible ; 
they  even  plant  them  upon  some  of  the  steepest  rocks 
and  endeavour  to  prevent  the  earth  crumbling  by 
means  of  walls.  Here  is  a  rock  called  Luchy  (Lurlei) 
which  is  quite  imposing  in  its  form,  where  an  echo 
will  repeat  seven  times. 

"  Near  this  place  is  a  bank  of  sand  which  is  a  danger 
to  boatmen  who  do  not  understand  the  navigation 
of  the  Rhine.  The  fishermen  make  use  of  it  in  fishing 
for  salmon,  they  live  in  huts,  and  in  this  respect  are 
not  unlike  the  Laplanders  as  described  in  travels : 
they  presented  us  with  two  rather  fine  fish.  It  is 
reported  that  this  bank  is  connected  with  the  eddy 
at  Bingen  and  boats  which  have  been  lost  in  the  latter 
have  reappeared  on  the  bank.  We  were  very  agree- 
ably surprised  on  suddenly  coming  in  view  of  St.  Goar 
where  we  were  to  sleep,  which  was  reached  at  half- 
past  eight.  We  were  saluted  by  the  cannon  of  the  old 
fortress  of  Rheinfels  and  Goarshausen  which  are 
opposite  each  other. 

"  St.  Goar  is  a  little  town  with  scarcely  2000  souls. 
The  house  I  occupied  looked  over  the  Rhine,  on  which 
the  illuminated  boats  made  a  pretty  effect.  My 
apartment  was  not  sumptuous,  consisting  as  it  did 
of  nothing  but  the  four  walls. 

"  My  love  for  the  beauties  of  the  scenery  of  the 


CASTLES,  TOWERS  ON  THE  RHINE     187 

Rhine  cost  me  dear ;  I  was  desperately  ill  all  night, 
and  in  the  morning  had  still  sufficient  fever  to  prevent 
any  departure  before  the  middle  of  the  following 
day,  after  being  in  a  fine  passion  with  poor  Chevalier 
Bourdier  who  endeavoured  to  persuade  me  to  swallow 
syrup  of  couch  grass,  camomile,  soothing  draughts, 
and  a  hundred  thousand  other  things  which  would 
have  poisoned  me.  I  shall  do  nothing  until  we  reach 
Paris,  and  then  shall  only  follow  the  advice  of  the 
grand  medetin. 

"  On  the  3rd  we  had  tolerably  fine  weather  for 
our  voyage  which  was  accomplished  very  pleasantly. 
We  passed  by  Welmich  with  its  remarkably  handsome 
Gothic  tower  and  old  castle  called  the  Mausthurm 
(Souris). 

"  The  rocks  are  quite  bare  as  far  as  Hirzenach,  where 
there  is  a  very  fine  abbey.  There  are  gold  and  silver 
mines  here  and  more  orchards.  The  Rhine  turns 
eastward,  and  above  Salzig  are  the  two  Castles  of 
Liebenstein  and  Sternfels  (Sternberg)  called  the  Two 
Brothers,  about  which  a  charming  fcale  is  told,  but  as 
it  is  a  long  one,  my  reclining  posture  will  not  permit 
me  to  write  it. 

'  There  was  at  Bornhosen  (Bornhofen)  a  convent 
of  Capucins  which,  until  two  years  ago,  was  still  a 
celebrated  place  of  pilgrimage ;  it  was  founded  by 
Brb'mser,  but  had  to  be  suppressed  on  account  of  the 
excesses  committed  there. 

"  On  the  left  is  the  town  of  Boppert  (Boppard) 
with  its  ancient  towers  and  walls,  which  is  said  to  be 
one  of  the  fifty  fortresses  built  by  Germanicus  in  this 
part  of  Germany. 

"  Above  the  town  at  Marienberg  there  used  to  be 


188  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE      [On.  VIII 

a  convent  in  which  were  canonesses.  The  fine  road 
constructed  by  the  Emperor,  after  overcoming  so 
many  difficulties,  traverses  this  bank.  It  necessi- 
tated the  blasting  of  rocks,  the  building  of  stone 
bridges,  and  the  boring  of  tunnels,  and  was  only  com- 
pleted a  few  years  ago. 

"  The  Rhine  widens  again  considerably,  and  one 
suddenly  sees  Braubach  and  the  old  fortress  of  Marks- 
burg,  situated  on  the  rock  which  is  frequently  enveloped 
in  clouds,  where  the  Emperor  Henry  IV.  was  received 
after  his  own  son  had  refused  him  hospitality. 

"  The  landscape  here  is  much  more  pleasing  for  the 
mountains  recede,  which  brings  Oberlahnstein  into 
sight.  To  the  left  one  sees  the  little  town  of  Rhens 
which  has  a  very  curious  square  tower.  Four  hundred 
paces  from  this  town  in  the  shade  of  some  walnut 
trees  was  formerly  the  site  of  the  Konigsstuhl,  but 
no  traces  of  it  can  now  be  seen.  Here,  in  the  early 
days  of  Christianity,  the  Emperor  and  his  Seven 
Electors  held  their  deliberations,  and  Emperors  were 
elected  or  dethroned.  It  was  erected  on  this  spot 
because  the  States  of  the  Four  Electors  of  the  Rhine 
joined. 

"  It  made  me  feel  sad  to  see  the  destruction  of 
monuments  of  such  ancient  grandeur,  and  the  pilot 
who  related  this  story  was  unable  to  restrain  his 
emotion.  Not  a  vestige  is  left  of  this  ancient  monu- 
ment of  the  greatness  of  Germany.  Opposite  this 
spot  across  the  river  is  the  ruin  of  the  chapel  where 
the  Emperor  Wenceslas  was  dethroned  by  his  electors 
in  1400. 

"  The  little  town  of  Oberlahnstein  is  charmingly 
situated  on  the  other  bank  ;  the  ruins  of  the  ancient 


ARRIVAL  AT  COBLENTZ  189 

castle  of  Kochenfels  (?  Stolzenfels)  can  be  seen,  and 
a  little  further  on  one  comes  to  the  mouth  of  the  Lahn. 
Here  we  were  besieged  by  a  quantity  of  boats  which 
brought  us  fruit  and  flowers,  meanwhile  being  saluted 
with  endless  volleys  of  cannon,  truly  a 'most  painful 
ordeal  both  physically  and  morally.  I  suffered  much 
from  it. 

*  When  the  Duchess  is  present  this  reminiscence 
of  unhappy  memories  must  be  very  trying  to  her. 
The  Lahn  flows  into  the  Rhine  between  the  old  castle 
of  Lahneck  and  Neiderlahnstein,  its  banks  are  said 
to  be  very  picturesque  and  a  good  hunting  ground 
for  botanists  and  mineralogists ;  the  mouth  of  it  is 
only  half  an  hour's  distance  from  that  of  the  Moselle  ; 
near  the  Lahn  is  a  very  large  island  in  the  Rhine  on 
which  is  a  ruined  convent  founded  in  1143,  and  occupied 
by  nuns  up  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution. 

"  Having  left  the  convent  on  our  right  hand,  we 
passed  the  village  of  Horschheim,  which  has  a  glorious 
view.  In  the  distance  is  a  Carthusian  Monastery 
on  the  left  hand,  to  the  right  the  ruined  fortress  of 
Ehrenbreitstein,  and  in  front  Coblentz  with  its  very 
fine  old  residence  of  the  Elector. 

'  We  arrived  at  four  o'clock.  I  was  lodged  in  the 
Prefecture  having  a  pretty  outlook  into  a  garden, 
but  being  still  feverish  I  hastened  to  retire  to  bed. 
M.  Bourdier  came  to  see  me  and  told  me  that  two  un- 
fortunate gunners  who  should  have  been  of  my  guard 
had  lost,  one  his  arm,  the  other  both  wrists  in  endeav- 
ouring to  discharge  a  cannon  to  celebrate  my  arrival. 

"  It  is  very  sad  to  reflect  that  no  journey  takes 
place  without  occasioning  some  such  accident,  though 
quite  innocently. 

N 


190  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE     [On.  VIII 

"  The  town  is  fairly  large  and  very  pretty,  but  has 
no  commerce. 

"  In  the  evening  after  dinner  I  received  the 
authorities.  Unfortunately  I  mentioned  to  General 
Caffarelli  what  I  had  been  told  about  the  two  gunners. 
On  reaching  home  he  sent  for  M.  Bourdier,  and  not 
only  scolded  him  but  treated  him  in  a  manner  one 
would  not  even  use  towards  one's  servant.  When  he 
had  vented  his  anger,  he  said  to  him, '  You  see  I  am 
hasty  but  it  quickly  passes  ofiV  I  know  very  well  that 
had  I  been  M.  Bourdier  I  should  not  have  taken  it 
so  patiently.  General  Cafiarelli  is  incredibly  hot- 
tempered  and  suspicious,  at  the  same  time  he  is  an 
excellent  man,  quick  and  clever,  but  none  the  less 
intolerant.  In  conversation  he  must  always  be  right, 
expecting  every  one  to  be  of  the  same  opinion  as 
himself,  which  is  not  always  possible,  as  sometimes 
he  is  mistaken ;  moreover,  the  charm  of  conversation 
lies  in  diversity  of  opinions  ! 

"  On  the  4th,  at  eight  in  the  morning,  we  set  out  once 
more,  happy  that  it  was  the  last  day  of  our  voyage. 
We  were  growing  weary  of  the  beauties  of  nature 
and  found  it  very  tiresome  to  remain  inactive  all 
day.  Once  again  we  looked  upon  Coblentz  and  the 
fortress  of  Ehrenbreitstein,  where  on  the  left  stands 
a  little  pyramid  on  a  low  mound  to  mark  the  tomb  of 
Generals  Marceau  and  Hoche. 

"  Neuendorf!,  a  small  village  also  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  river,  is  the  place  which  supplies  Coblentz  with 
vegetables.  On  the  right,  in  the  Island  of  Nidewith 
(Niederwerth),  is  a  convent,  besides  two  others  at 
Vallesheim  (Wallersheim)  and  Besselich  not  more  than 
100  paces  away.  On  the  right  bank  is  the  town  of 


ENGERS— NEUWIED  191 

Wallendar,  which  carries  on  many  industries  and  has 
many  factories. 

"After  passing  a  number  of  other  villages,  the  names 
of  which  it  would  be  tedious  to  repeat,  we  arrived  at 
Engers,  the  summer  residence  of  the  Princes  of 
Nassau- Vilburg,  which  is  beautifully  situated.  The 
house  is  very  large  but  has  no  garden.  The  Prince 
has  made  roads  through  the  woods  of  the  adjacent 
mountains  in  which  there  is  an  old  chateau  called 
Eulgen ;  to  the  left  is  the  village  of  Visterthurm 
(Weissenthurm),  famous  in  history  for  one  of  the 
most  bloody  conflicts  fought  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Revolution  between  the  French  and  Germans. 

:e  Upon  a  mountain  on  the  right  bank  is  Montreaux 
(Monrepos),  the  summer  residence  of  the  Princes  of 
Neuwied,  constructed  entirely  of  wood. 

"  After  this  one  of  the  finest  views  in  the  Rhine 
voyage  may  be  seen,  a  smiling  plain  framed  by 
mountains,  setting  off  the  Abbey  of  Romes-dof 
(Rommers-dorf).  Two  of  the  hills  in  the  distance, 
on  the  left,  are  said  to  have  formerly  been  volcanoes, 
owing  to  the  amount  of  lava  found  there.  At  the 
back  is  a  convent  of  Capuchins  situated  on  the 
lake,  which  is  several  leagues  in  circumference,  the 
bottom  of  which  has  never  been  found. 

"  Neuwied,  a  charming  little  town,  is  on  the  right 
bank  close  to  the  river.  The  town  is  well  built. 
The  castle  is  small  but  pleasantly  situated  having 
a  pleasure  garden  bordered  by  alleys  of  magnificent 
poplars.  The  reigning  Princess  is  a  lady  brimming 
with  wit  and  sensibility,  who  was  left  a  widow  while 
very  young,  with  a  number  of  children  whom  she  has 
brought  up  extremely  well.  She  is  also  an  authoress, 


192  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE      [On.  VIII 

many  poems  having  been  written  by  her  which  are 
said  to  have  merit. 

"  In  this  town  is  an  establishment  of  Moravian 
Brethren  whom  I  was  disappointed  not  to  have  seen. 
I  am  told  they  are  exactly  similar  to  those  I  saw  two 
years  ago  at  Zeist  in  Holland.  Each  brother  has  his 
particular  trade  and  the  money  produced  by  the 
sale  of  their  crafts  goes  into  the  common  purse.  They 
assemble  daily  in  the  great  hall  to  pray.  The  spinsters 
are  set  apart,  the  bachelors  are  in  another  wing,  the 
married  women  in  a  third,  and  the  widows  in  the 
fourth  ;  they  sleep  in  dormitories.  They  are  neither 
Calvinists  nor  Lutherans.  When  a  Moravian  Brother 
wishes  to  marry  he  draws  lots  and  is  compelled  to 
wed  the  lady  whose  ticket  he  draws,  hence  it  frequently 
happens  that  a  young  man  is  obliged  to  marry  a 
damsel  of  75  years.  The  women  all  wear  the  same 
costume,  except  that  the  married  women  have  a 
crimson  ribbon  in  their  caps,  the  widows  a  black  one, 
and  the  spinsters  pink. 

"  I  recollect  an  unfortunate  inadvertence  on  my 
part  in  regard  to  these  pink  ribbons  which  caused  me 
much  embarrassment,  which  I  only  relate  here 
because  this  book  is  for  myself  alone.  At  the  time  of 
my  journey  in  Holland  I  was  as  absent-minded  as  now, 
but  had  in  addition  the  delightful  habit  of  replying 
to  every  sentence  to  which  I  had  not  listened  by  the 
word  '  Why  ? '  In  returning  from  Zeist,  we  were 
proceeding  slowly  in  the  carriage  while  M.  de  St. 
Aignan,  who  was  on  horseback,  was  exclaiming  against 
the  barbarous  custom  which  compelled  the  Moravian 
Brothers  to  draw  lots  at  the  risk  of  obtaining  a 
damsel,  lame,  ugly,  or  hunchbacked,  and  he  said, 


THE  MORAVIAN   BRETHREN          193 

'  If  I  had  been  in  that  plight  and  obliged,  notwith- 
standing my  entreaties,  to  marry,  the  lady  would 
have  kept  the  pink  ribbon  all  her  life.'  I,  being  a 
hundred  leagues  away  from  the  conversation,  replied 
with  the  utmost  sang-froid,  '  But  why,  Monsieur  ?  ' 
He  made  no  answer.  The  Duchess  burst  out  laughing 
and  explained  the  whole  story  to  me.  I  was  so 
embarrassed  I  dared  not  look  at  him  for  several  days, 
and  refrained  for  at  least  a  week  from  using  the 
unfortunate  expression  '  Why  ? ' 

'  When  a  brother  or  sister  dies  no  bells  are  rung, 
but  the  flute  is  played,  which  I  think  gives  a  far  more 
delicate  idea  of  death.  They  never  use  the  word 
*  Die/  but  say  '  Return  from  whence  we  came.' 

"  Half  an  hour  beyond  Neuwied  are  the  ruined 
foundations  of  an  ancient  Roman  city.  Beyond 
again  is  a  mountain  gorge  before  which  stands  the 
town  of  Andernach  whose  walls  and  towers  bear  wit- 
ness to  their  age,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  At 
some  distance  from  this  town  there  used  to  be  a 
convent  which  still  looks  as  though  it  had  once  been 
very  large  ;  it  was  founded  in  the  twelfth  century  by 
the  Countess  Gennviedis  de  Spadeheim. 

"  After  passing  Andernach  we  had  breakfast  and 
played  faro,  at  which  I  was  given  a  lesson,  but  was  so 
wearied  by  it  that  after  half  an  hour  I  returned  to 
the  bridge,  where  I  found  such  a  strong  wind  there 
was  a  danger  of  being  blown  overboard. 

'  The  mountains  are  quite  bare  and  present  a 
wretched  appearance.  To  the  left  of  Leutesdorf  is 
the  small  village  of  Namedy  in  which  are  the  ruins 
of  Gheineck  (Rheineck),  and  on  the  right  those  of 
Hammers tein ;  above  them  is  an  ancient  castle  of 


194  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE      [On.  VIII 

the  Templars  destroyed  in  1 200.  After  passing  Ahren- 
fels  and  Ariendorf  one  sees  the  rock  of  Erpeley 
(Erpeler),  a  block  of  granite  700  feet  high.  Linz  is 
close  to  Dattenberg,  Breysig,  and  Sinzig  with  the  old 
castles  of  Obbusken  (?)  and  Landskron,  and  here  the 
Rhine  forms  a  lake  which  is  the  frontier  of  the  Prince 
of  Nassau's  states. 

'  The  Ahr  joins  the  Rhine  here,  and  in  stormy 
weather  is  said  to  become  very  dangerous,  causing 
many  shipwrecks.  Half  a  league  from  Rheinmagen 
(Remagen)  is  the  little  town  of  Unkel,  where  the  river 
is  also  very  rocky.  From  this  spot  can  be  seen  the 
seven  mountains  (Siebengebirge),  far-famed  as  having 
been  the  principal  abode  of  the  '  Invisible  Tribunal.' 
Formerly  each  was  crowned  with  a  castle  ;  now  only 
those  of  Drachenfels  and  Stolzenberg  are  left.  The 
others  were  destroyed  before  the  year  1000.  There 
is  still  a  chapel  on  the  Lowenburg. 

The  stories  told  of  the  Secret  Tribunal  have 
always  filled  me  with  peculiar  fear.  I  should  not  like 
to  have  lived  in  those  times,  for  this  fear  is  justifiable 
when  one  realises  that  at  times  even  peaceable 
knights  are  said  to  have  heard  a  rapping  at  their 
door,  on  which  was  posted  the  following  morning  an 
order  to  present  themselves  on  such  and  such  a  day 
at  the  cross  roads,  to  be  judged  by  the  Secret  Tri- 
bunal. If  they  did  not  appear  at  the  third  summons 
they  would  either  be  found  assassinated  in  their  beds 
or  hanging  from  a  tree  on  the  highway,  placarded 
with  the  announcement  that  the  Secret  Tribunal  had 
exercised  its  just  vengeance.  The  members  of  the 
Tribunal  always  wore  black,  were  disguised  with  masks, 
and  never  showed  themselves  by  day.  They  passed 


THE  STORY  OF  DRACHENFELS        195 

judgment  in  grottoes  or  caverns  and  represented 
persons  of  all  classes  from  the  prince  to  the  lowest 
order  of  the  people.  This  dread  tribunal  lasted  from 
the  year  1000  to  1300  or  1400.  I  know  that  whenever 
people  talk  to  me  about  it  I  have  terrible  dreams ; 
this  happened  to  me  at  Cologne. 

"  Oberwinter  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine  in  a 
very  smiling  country  where  some  exceedingly  pretty 
little  valleys  lie  behind  this  town. 

"  Several  weeks  should  be  given  to  this  voyage  on 
the  Rhine  to  examine  all  the  picturesque  sites  at 
leisure. 

"  Oberwinter  is  almost  at  the  foot  of  the  Seven 
Mountains,  and  opposite  to  it  there  is  a  wooded  hill 
on  which  two  faces  of  wall  are  all  that  now  remains 
of  a  large  castle  called  Rolandseck. 

"  Nonnenwerth  is  another  island  on  the  river 
resembling  a  pleasure-ground,  and  having  in  the  centre 
a  very  fine  convent,  in  which  there  are  still  a  dozen 
nuns  who  were  permitted  by  the  Emperor  to  remain 
there,  on  condition  they  do  not  receive  any  novices. 
We  saw  them  as  we  passed,  dressed  in  black  with 
violet  fichus  ;  they  looked  very  old. 

'  The  inhabitants  tell  a  story  about  the  founda- 
tions of  this  convent  which  is  true  and  may  be  read 
in  the  Archives  of  Cologne.  Roland,  nephew  of 
Charlemagne,  once  lost  his  way  and  was  obliged  to 
beg  hospitality  at  the  Castle  of  Drachenfels,  whose 
lord  received  him  with  the  utmost  cordiality.  He 
was  served  by  the  Baron's  daughter,  who  was  beautiful 
as  the  day,  and  offered  him  wine  and  bread.  Roland 
fell  in  love  with  her  as  soon  as  he  saw  her.  On  leaving, 
the  following  morning,  the  Baron  asked  his  name,  and 


196  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE     [On.  VIII 

Roland  gave  it  with  modest  blushes,  for  his  courage 
and  loyalty  were  made  known  in  song  by  the  people. 
The  old  Baron  was  pleased  at  having  welcomed  such 
a  guest  and  begged  him  to  remain  another  day.  A 
glance  from  the  youthful  Hildegarde  persuaded  him. 
On  that  day  Roland  found  occasion  to  tell  her  of  his 
love.  She  was  seated  under  an  apple  tree  wearing 
a  garland  of  flowers  on  her  lovely  fair  hair,  meanwhile 
playing  with  the  birds.  All  trembling  he  told  of  his 
passion  while  Hildegarde  looked  down  and  blushed. 
Having  kissed  her  hand  he  vowed  eternal  fealty  to  her. 
Next  day  they  parted  without  words,  nor  did  Hilde- 
garde weep,  but  was  overwhelmed  with  melancholy. 
She  climbed  the  tower  to  gaze  upon  him  once  more, 
and  when  she  could  no  longer  see  the  knight,  her  tears 
flowed  fast  owing  to  a  dread  presentiment  which 
robbed  her  of  all  gaiety.  Each  day  she  spent  in 
prayer,  vowing  to  wear  the  veil  until  he  returned, 
and  if  he  did  not,  then  to  retire  to  a  cloister  for  the 
remainder  of  her  life.  After  this  her  father's  castle 
was  besieged  by  a  neighbouring  Baron;  Hildegarde 
hoped  that  Roland  would  come  to  deliver  her,  but 
he  came  not.  Secretly  she  sent  a  messenger  to  him, 
who  returned  with  the  good  news  that  he  was  on  the 
way  to  rescue  her  father  with  a  considerable  body  of 
men.  Roland,  in  fact,  arrived  next  day  and  attacked 
the  assailants,  while  old  Drachenfels  made  a  sortie  to 
aid  him. 

"  Night  came  on  during  the  battle,  with  the  result 
that  it  was  no  longer  possible  to  distinguish  between 
friend  and  foe,  and  Roland  had  the  misfortune  with 
his  own  hand  to  slay  the  father  of  Hildegarde.  The 
enemy  fled  at  every  point,  and  Roland  was  victorious 


HILDEGARDE  AND  ROLAND          197 

at  the  moment  when  lie  perceived  the  old  man 
before  him.  The  damsel  arrived  with  retainers 
bearing  torches ;  she  gazed  fixedly  upon  the  corpse, 
then  clasping  the  hand  of  the  knight,  she  said,  '  You 
have  committed  no  murder,  but  we  must  part,  I  feel 
that  the  soul  of  my  father  forgives  you  at  this  moment. 
You  came  to  help  him,  but  your  hand  is  stained  with 
his  blood  and  I  dare  not  grant  you  mine.  I  can  only 
give  it  to  you  before  we  separate,  our  love  must  change 
to  mourning.  Heaven  has  willed  it,  and  even  if  our 
hearts  suffer  we  must  submit  to  the  decree.  After 
burying  my  father  I  shall  go  to  the  Island  Convent ; 
if  you  have  courage  to  be  constant  until  the  life  eternal, 
we  shall  meet  in  Paradise.'  Roland  felt  all  the  purity 
of  his  mistress'  love  ;  he  swore  eternal  fidelity,  after 
which  they  parted  sadly.  Hildegarde  became  a  nun 
in  the  convent  on  the  island,  and  Roland  built  himself 
a  castle  opposite,  upon  the  mountain.  He  spent 
whole  days  at  the  window  gazing  upon  the  convent. 
At  break  of  day  when  he  heard  the  bell  for  matins,  he 
listened  to  the  chanting  and  fancied  he  recognised  the 
voice  of  Hildegarde.  When  at  night  he  detected  a 
glimmer  in  some  dark  cell,  he  imagined  it  was  his  lady 
praying  for  him.  At  the  end  of  two  years,  on  a  gloomy 
autumn  morning,  as  he  looked  out  as  usual,  he  noticed 
a  grave  was  being  dug  in  the  cemetery  of  the  convent. 
Filled  with  gloomy  foreboding,  he  dispatched  a 
messenger  to  the  convent,  and  heard  that  Hildegarde 
had  departed.  He  saw  her  body  placet  in  the  grave 
and  listened  to  the  last  farewell  of  tne  living  as  they 
chanted  for  the  dead.  The  following  spring  he  saw 
the  first  flowers  spring  up  over  her  grave ;  the  next 
year  he,  too,  was  gone  ! 


198  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE    [On.  VIII 

"  I  thought  this  a  charming  story.  Women  are 
still  the  same,  but  men  are  no  longer  so  constant !  I 
remained  till  sunset  gazing  upon  the  Seven  Mountains 
as  they  gradually  vanished  in  the  distance. 

"  Here  the  Rhine  Valley  ends,  to  the  right  in  this 
smiling  plain  are  the  villages  of  Dollendorf  and  Cassel, 
with  the  Abbey  of  Siegburg,  and  to  the  left  Roisdorf, 
Mahlem,  and  Plittersdorf .  Here  was  Godesberg  with 
its  ancient  ruin,  the  finest  I  have  ever  seen. 

"  I  never  regretted  so  much  as  on  that  day,  that 
I  was  not  then  sufficiently  skilled  in  drawing  to  be 
able  to  sketch  from  nature.  This  ruin  is  on  the  spot 
where  there  existed  a  temple  in  the  time  of  Tacitus, 
who  describes  it  as  the  Am  Ubiorwn.  In  the  old 
chronicles,  a  strange  king  with  his  army  is  said  to 
have  encamped  there  for  a  long  while.  He  held 
intercourse  with  devils,  for  whom  he  built  a  temple  on 
the  mountain,  on  which  he  sacrificed  men  and  women 
to  them.  The  power  of  the  devils  kept  him  and  his 
descendants  on  the  throne  for  some  while,  until  the 
Christian  priests  put  an  end  to  their  reign. 

"  Near  this  place  is  a  spring  of  hot  water  famous 
throughout  Germany  as  the  waters  of  Draisch. 

"  Bonn  is  now  visible  in  the  distance,  on  the  very 
edge  of  the  Rhine.  It  is  quite  a  pretty  town  to  judge 
from  the  houses  that  lie  along  the  river.  All  the 
authorities  came  out  in  boats  to  meet  us ;  one  was  filled 
with  young  people  holding  garlands  who  presented 
me  with  flowers.  The  inhabitants  wished  me  very  much 
to  remain  for  a  day  with  them,  but  I  could  not  comply. 

"  Being  weary  of  the  beauties  of  the  Rhine,  I  am 
quite  resolved  not  to  delay  my  return  to  Paris  by  a 
single  day. 


BOREDOM  ON  THE  VOYAGE    199 

'  The  route  as  far  as  Cologne  is  positively  hideous  ; 
on  both  sides  villages  situated  on  a  plain  without  a 
view  anywhere.  Having  contemplated  this  landscape 
for  a  few  moments  I  went  below  and  remained  there 
for  the  rest  of  the  voyage,  except  for  a  moment  on 
deck  to  take  the  air. 

"  Life  on  this  yacht  was  very  pleasant,  notwith- 
standing we  lived  together  in  one  room,  every  one  did 
as  he  liked,  which  put  me  quite  at  my  ease.  I  did  not 
speak  a  word  for  over  three  leagues  as  I  detest  con- 
versation. However,  the  Emperor  tells  me  I  shall  be 
different  at  the  age  of  forty ;  so  much  the  better,  that 
proves  I  shall  have  acquired  a  little  amiability  which 
is  sadly  lacking  in  me  at  present ! 

*  We  reached  Cologne  at  nine  in  the  evening, 
greatly  fatigued  and  all  suffering  from  severe  head- 
aches, owing  to  the  noise  of  the  cannon  which  followed 
us  the  entire  route. 

'  Hardly  had  we  disembarked  before  we  were 
placed  in  a  carriage,  at  least  a  century  old,  which  was 
so  hard  we  must  have  expired  at  the  end  of  a  league, 
consequently  the  town  of  Cologne  appeared  to  us 
interminable.  It  is  true  it  is  very  badly  built,  there 
are  only  90,000  inhabitants,  but  the  town  is  so  arranged 
one  might  easily  believe  there  are  at  least  200,000. 

"  I  was  lodged  in  the  same  house  as  two  years  ago 
which  belonged  to  a  German  Baron  who  has  just  died. 
The  rooms  are  very  dirty  and  full  of  bugs,  but  it  has  a 
pretty  garden  with  a  small  greenhouse  containing 
beautiful  flowers. 

"  Cologne  has  beautiful  churches.  I  recollect 
visiting  a  couple  of  them  two  years  ago.  The  Cathe- 
dral is  handsome,  and  has  some  very  ancient  pictures 


200  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE     [On.  VIII 

which  date  from  the  commencement  of  painting,  also 
the  Chapel  of  the  Three  Magi  in  which  their  bones 
are  preserved,  kept  in  a  golden  coffin  of  extraordinary 
richness  adorned  with  a  quantity  of  precious  stones. 

"  I  was  struck  by  the  fact  that  the  relics  have  been 
surrounded  by  engraved  stones  representing  subjects 
taken  from  mythology.  Over  the  coffin  are  their 
three  crowns  inlaid  with  diamonds  and  coloured  stones. 

"  The  Church  of  St.  Ursula  is  also  very  beautiful, 
one  of  its  chapels  contains  the  heads  of  St.  Ursula 
and  her  husband,  also  of  her  11,000  virgins.  Each 
head  has  its  separate  niche  and  is  adorned  with  jewels, 
those  of  St.  Ursula  and  her  husband  and  one  other 
are  kept  in  bags  of  taffetas.  On  one  of  them  hair  can 
still  be  seen  with  clotted  blood  round  an  enormous 
wound.  St.  Ursula's  head-dress  is  still  preserved 
here  along  with  many  other  precious  things  in  the 
treasury.  In  the  Chapter  of  the  Canonesses  of  St. 
Marie,  Marie  de  Medicis  spent  the  last  years  of  her 
life. 

"  Before  the  Revolution  there  were  83  churches 
and  convents  in  this  city  and  over  12,000  beggars. 
There  is  also  a  very  pretty  botanical  garden  with  a 
school  of  natural  history.  When  a  Sovereign  passes 
there  the  guilds  parade  in  front  of  his  windows  in  the 
most  extraordinary  garments.  They  spared  me  this 
infliction. 

"  In  the  Church  of  St.  Ursula  some  very  curious 
paintings  may  be  seen,  done  in  fresco  and  oil,  repre- 
senting the  history  of  the  Saint  and  her  virgins. 

"  On  the  5th  we  took  our  breakfast  at  Cologne, 
after  which  I  received  the  authorities  until  noon  ; 
then  we  entered  our  carriages,  but  I  felt  very  impatient 


AIX-LA-CHAPELLE  201 

because  too  few  relays  had  been  arranged  to  admit 
of  our  travelling  at  full  speed. 

"  I  believe  our  journeys  are  a  perfect  nuisance  to 
the  peasants,  who  are  obliged  to  provide  horses  to 
draw  the  carriages  of  the  suite.  Sometimes  a  quarter 
of  them  break  down,  then  fifty  francs  for  each  horse 
is  given  in  compensation. 

(  The  first  stage  from  Cologne  to  Bergheim  is  six 
leagues,  through  a  superb  forest,  the  country  generally 
is  very  fine,  also  from  Bergheim  to  Juliers,  which  is 
quite  a  small  and  rather  pretty  place.  I  think  the 
houses  in  the  town  of  Bergheim  are  very  like  those  of 
Holland  on  the  outside,  and  seem  fairly  clean.  The  last 
stage  from  Juliers  to  Aix-la-Chapelle  is  seven  leagues. 

"  As  may  be  supposed,  it  is  not  possible  to  travel 
very  quickly,  but  the  beauty  of  the  landscape  is 
sufficient  compensation ;  the  wooded  hills  abound 
with  orchards  and  the  delightful  valleys  with  streams 
and  cottages.  The  scenery  continues  to  improve  as 
one  approaches  Aix-la-Chapelle,  where  there  are 
many  pretty  gardens,  and  the  town  appears  quite 
close,  though  still  two  leagues  away. 

"  On  our  approach  the  roads  became  lined  with 
people.  At  this  season  numbers  of  people  take  the 
baths  at  Aix-la-Chapelle,  where  we  arrived  at  half- 
past  seven.  It  looks  quite  pretty  and  attracts  me 
more  than  many  places,  but  it  is  true  I  have  a  weak- 
ness for  this  country,  and  really  am  most  unfortunate, 
for  this  is  the  second  time  I  have  been  obliged  to  pass 
through  here  without  being  able  to  prolong  my  visit 
for  a  few  days  to  enjoy  the  beauty  of  the  surround- 


ings. 


I  am  lodging  in  the  house  of  the  Prefet,  M.  de  la 


202  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE     [On.  VIII 

Doucette ;  he  has  a  wife  who  is  said  to  be  very  amiable, 
also  three  charming  children.  All  I  know  of  him  is 
his  translation  of  a  German  novel,  which  is  incredibly 
wearisome.  I  should  have  been  all  right  there  if  I 
could  have  slept,  but  a  pretty  little  mouse  ensconced 
itself  behind  my  bed  and  disturbed  me  terribly. 

"  I  cannot  explain  why  I  was  in  a  very  sulky 
humour  on  my  arrival,  but  when  the  Duchess  came  to 
inquire  whether  I  would  like  to  see  the  Cathedral 
before  leaving  the  following  day,  I  refused  to  consider 
the  suggestion.  She  told  me  how  wrong  I  was, 
nevertheless  I  insisted ;  whereupon  she  told  me  many 
home  truths,  and  as  I  am  perhaps  no  better  than  I 
should  be,  I  soon  admitted  my  error  and  thanked  her 
for  all  she  had  said.  Such  a  friend  as  the  Duchess 
is  very  rare  at  Court !  Shortly  after,  a  storm  such  as 
I  had  never  experienced  burst  upon  us,  and  my  bad 
mood  disappeared ;  I  think  it  may  be  attributable  to 
the  atmosphere  which  had  reacted  on  my  nerves. 

"  After  dinner  I  received  the  authorities  and  some 
little  girls  presented  me  with  flowers.  Next  day  at 
eight  o'clock,  I  visited  the  Exhibition  of  the  Products 
of  National  Industry,  where  the  very  fine  sheets, 
linens,  needles,  and  pins,  and  much  beet  sugar,  were 
particularly  noticeable,  also  a  certain  kind  of  cotton 
fabric  made  there  which  is  nearly  as  good  as  the 
English.  Besides  these  there  were  some  splendid 
cotton  velvets  which  are  as  beautiful  as  those  of 
Lyons,  and  quite  as  pleasant  to  wear.  At  Spa  they 
make  very  gay  wooden  boxes  painted  with  birds, 
flowers,  or  landscapes.  From  there  I  moved  on  to 
the  Cathedral  which  is  very  beautiful  and  of  great 
historical  interest,  for  many  Emperors  have  been 


CORONATION  THRONE  OF  CHARLEMAGNE  203 

crowned  there ;  also  I  was  shown  the  place  where 
Charlemagne  was  buried. 

"  After  that  I  saw  the  chief  relics  and  those  of 
less  importance :  the  former  consist  of  garments  of 
our  Saviour  and  the  Virgin,  the  latter  being  the  skull 
and  bones  of  Charlemagne,  which  are  encased  in  vases 
of  gold  inlaid  with  jewels,  while  the  rest  are  in  taffetas. 
They  told  me  that  during  a  journey  which  he  made 
some  time  ago  to  Aix-la-Chapelle,  M.  Corvisart  saw 
these  relics  and  discovered  that  the  bone  which  was 
shown  as  the  leg-bone  of  Charlemagne  was  really 
from  the  arm.  This  has  not  been  corrected.  We  had 
some  rings  blessed,  which  I  hope  will  bring  me  luck, 
as  I  have  been  badly  in  need  of  it  for  some  time. 

'  They  also  showed  us  ornaments  embroidered 
by  the  Empresses,  and  the  State  chair  of  Charlemagne, 
which  is  of  stone.  He  was  buried  sitting  in  this,  but 
it  has  since  been  exhumed,  and  is  now  used  by 
each  Emperor  at  his  coronation  to  sit  in  for  a  short 
while. 

"  At  ten  o'clock  we  left  Aix-la-Chapelle  in  torrents 
of  rain,  by  a  very  bad  road  as  far  as  Battice,  which  is 
six  leagues  from  there.  The  country  is  very  fine, 
abounding  in  wooded  hills  and  beautiful  valleys. 
This  is  the  coal  district. 

"  I  was  mentioning  the  affair  of  the  Chevalier 
Goffin  when  some  one  told  me  it  was  even  less  satis- 
factory than  had  been  stated,  but  as  the  accident 
happened  at  the  mines  of  Beaujouc,  and  had  been 
caused  by  the  negligence  and  carelessness  of  M. 
Micoud  (the  Prefet),  he  had  decided  on  a  bold  action 
which  would  be  talked  of  a  great  deal,  so  that  the 
original  cause  of  it  might  be  forgotten. 


204  JOUKNEY  TO  MAYENCE     [On.  VIII 

"  It  is  very  sad  to  find  how  often  one  is  disillusioned 
on  hearing  the  reason  of  a  virtuous  action. 

'  We  did  not  arrive  at  Liege,  which  is  eight  leagues 
from  Battice,  until  three  o'clock.  As  we  were  dying 
of  hunger  we  lunched  at  the  '  Prefecture/  which  was 
disgustingly  dirty ;  this  is  quite  unpardonable,  as 
the  Prefet  is  a  married  man,  and  the  first  duty  of  a 
wife  should  be  cleanliness.  I  saw  the  authorities  on 
my  way  through  and  left  at  four  o'clock.  Liege  is  a 
town  of  30,000  inhabitants,  situated  on  the  Meuse, 
having  a  rather  gloomy  appearance,  but  a  very  fine 
foundry  for  cannon. 

"  On  leaving  the  town,  one  proceeds  along  the 
banks  of  the  Meuse  which,  although  of  a  softer  beauty 
than  those  of  the  Khine,  are  in  no  wise  inferior  to  them 
in  the  varied  character  of  the  landscape.  Many 
pretty  country  houses  and  wooded  hills  are  noticeable, 
besides  enormous  masses  of  rock  threatening  to  crush 
those  who  pass  between  them ;  there  are  also  some 
old  castles,  but  they  are  rare.  We  passed  Chokrier, 
Huy,  andSchergen,  but  the  scenery  is  most  beautiful  be- 
tween Huy  and  Namur.  I  should  very  much  have  liked 
to  make  the  same  voyage  on  the  Meuse  as  on  the  Rhine. 

'  We  reached  Namur  at  nine  o'clock,  a  small  and 
ugly  town  famous  for  its  cutlery,  but  the  manufactures 
are  said  to  be  no  longer  as  good  as  they  used  to  be. 

"  I  arrived  quite  ill,  my  health  now  is  not  good, 
which  makes  me  realise  I  shall  not  be  much  longer  in 
this  world ;  this  thought  saddens  me,  for  I  am  so 
happy,  and  was  exceedingly  so  before  this  fatal  war. 
But  what  is  the  good  of  talking  of  that  ?  It  is  far  better 
to  hide  one's  sorrow  in  one's  heart,  and  resign  one's 
self  to  the  will  of  God. 


DINANT— GIVET— FUMAY  205 

"  During  dinner  M.  de  Croix,  the  Chamberlain, 
and  his  wife,  one  of  my  ladies-in-waiting,  called  on 
me ;  they  live  a  few  leagues  from  Namur.  I  stayed 
at  the  Prefecture,  which  is  quite  comfortable.  The 
Prefet  is  an  old  man.  Again  in  the  evening,  I  received 
the  authorities.  On  the  6th,  at  eight  in  the  morning, 
I  continued  my  journey,  feeling  sad,  for  it  was  begin- 
ning to  weary  me ;  the  route  onward  is  as  fine  as  the 
one  yesterday  evening. 

"  Between  Eossillon  and  Dinant  is  a  rock  through 
which  the  road  has  been  made,  just  wide  enough  for 
a  single  carriage.  I  admit  my  courage  failed  me  a 
little  at  this  place. 

'  We  arrived  at  Givet  at  one  o'clock  for  luncheon. 
The  town  consists  of  Petit  Givet  and  Grand  Givet  and 
Charlemont,  a  fortress  built  on  a  height  dominating 
the  town.  A  stone  bridge  now  connects  the  two 
Givets,  where  I  remember  two  years  ago  we  were 
delayed  for  sixteen  hours,  the  Bridge  of  Boats  having 
collapsed  owing  to  the  Meuse  being  in  flood.  Some 
English  prisoners  hurriedly  built  a  flying  bridge 
whereby  we  crossed,  for  which  the  Emperor  gave 
them  their  liberty. 

'  We  took  luncheon  at  the  house  in  which  the 
Duchess  had  lived  between  the  ages  of  three  and  nine, 
which  recalled  to  her  many  pleasant  recollections  of 
it ;  afterwards,  at  two  o'clock,  we  departed,  passing 
by  a  large  building  in  which  all  the  English  prisoners 
were  interned,  and  appeared  to  be  very  much  crowded 
together. 

'  We  proceeded  to  Fumay,  a  distance  of  five  leagues, 
where  we  left  the  banks  of  the  Meuse,  to  climb  a  very 
steep  ascent  into  a  forest.  This  continued  for  more 


206  JOURNEY   TO  MAYENCE    [On.  VIII 

than  an  hour,  until  on  emerging,  the  whole  of  the 
Ardennes  were  visible.  A  short  distance  from  Rocroy, 
we  passed  an  insignificant  fortress,  noted  only  for  its 
name,  which  recalls  the  famous  battle  that  was  fought 
on  these  plains. 

:<  The  country  is  hideous  as  far  as  Mezieres,  where 
we  were  met  by  the  sous-prefet  who  had  come  to  tell 
us  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  proceed  any  further,  as 
we  should  risk  breaking  our  necks.  This  disappoint- 
ment threw  me  into  a  shocking  temper.  I  remem- 
bered that  two  years  ago  we  had  been  very  ill  there, 
and  moreover,  there  was  the  prospect  of  getting  no 
dinner,  so,  despite  the  fears  that  might  have  over- 
come some  people,  I  insisted  on  continuing  the 
journey.  On  arriving  at  the  town  the  sous-prefet 
knocked  into  General  Foache,  overthrowing  him  and 
his  horse ;  fortunately  he  escaped  with  nothing  worse 
than  a  shock,  but  the  accident  might  have  killed  him. 
Flowers  were  offered  me. 

"  At  ten  in  the  evening,  after  leaving  the  town,  we 
stopped  to  partake  of  a  very  indifferent  dinner  by  the 
roadside,  particularly  so  to  me,  as  I  am  always  upset 
by  cold  meat,  and  detest  bread.  After  this  I  lay  down 
in  the  carriage,  but  the  road  was  so  atrociously  rough 
and  the  carriage  swayed  so  badly  that  I  was  as  much 
hurt  as  if  it  had  upset. 

"  At  last  we  reached  Rethel  on  the  3rd  at  three  in 
the  morning,  dead  with  fatigue.  Every  one,  except 
myself  and  the  Duchess,  went  off  to  have  a  second 
dinner.  I  betook  myself  to  bed  immediately,  but 
was  unable  to  sleep. 

"  Next  day  after  breakfast,  we  attended  Mass  and 
I  received  the  authorities.  The  Mayor  exhausted 


RHEIMS— SILLERY  207 

himself  by  repeating  to  me  over  and  over  again  in 
his  harangue,  the  fact  that  he  was  a  good  Champenois 
(inhabitant  of  Champagne).  This  was  obvious  with- 
out much  talk. 

:t  Two  years  ago  we  lunched  here,  after  which  the 
Emperor  met  a  man  in  the  courtyard,  who  asked  for  a 
pension,  explaining  he  had  formerly  been  the  Emperor's 
writing-master.  The  Emperor  recognised  him,  granted 
his  request,  and  clapped  him  on  the  shoulder,  saying, 
'  Right,  my  good  friend,  you  made  a  fine  pupil  then.' 

"  Rethel  is  a  poor  little  town  of  3000  to  4000  in- 
habitants, which  I  left  at  midday ;  the  country  is 
hideous.  As  far  as  Rheims,  one  sees  nothing  but 
plains  and  fields,  fertile  certainly,  but  there  is  nothing 
agreeable  for  the  eye  to  rest  upon.  Towards  three 
o'clock  we  descended  into  Rheims,  a  very  fine  city  ;  all 
the  houses  were  hung  with  the  products  of  the  municipal 
manufactures.  I  was  offered  a  basket  of  gingerbread. 

"  A  league  away  from  Rheims  is  Sillery,  the  estate 
of  M.  Valeures,  where  I  had  lunch  when  I  first  came  to 
France.  The  scenery  is  pretty  enough  between 
Jonchery,  Fismes,  and  Braine  (Braisne) ;  there  is  a 
pretty  little  stream  in  a  valley,  and  the  landscape 
becomes  more  wooded.  Near  Braisne  I  recognised 
the  cemetery  where  the  Emperor  awaited  me  as  I 
passed  through.  I  recalled  the  terror  I  felt  on  seeing 
him  arrive  without  having  been  forewarned.  It  was, 
however,  very  good  of  him  to  have  saved  me  the 
embarrassment  of  the  reception  which  was  to  take 
place  the  next  day. 

"  At  ten  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Soissons  where  we 
dined  at  the  Bishop's  palace,  which  is  a  very  fine 
building,  but  simply  furnished.  M.  de  Beauharnais,  I 


208  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE    [On.  VIII 

believe,  has  his  rank  of  Senator  here,  but  it  is  not  yet 
arranged.  During  dinner  the  noise  of  the  pealing  bells 
made  horrible  music.  We  entered  our  carriages  again 
in  a  fearful  storm,  to  leave  Soissons.  This  is  where 
the  King  of  Holland  awaited  me  with  a  letter  from 
the  Emperor,  and  was  astonished  on  opening  my  door 
to  find  the  Emperor  in  my  carriage  ! 

'  The  road  to  Compiegne  is  quite  good.  I  slept 
nearly  all  the  way  until  our  arrival  on  the  9th  at  one 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  It  was  quite  strange  to  find 
myself  in  such  a  vast  palace,  but  thankful  for  a  good 
bed  and  beautiful  rooms — a  great  comfort.  However, 
this  pleasure  was  not  without  bitterness,  for  I  thought 
of  the  days  I  had  spent  there  with  the  Emperor  and 
passed  the  night  in  tears. 

"  Next  morning  I  was  surprised  to  find  the  changes 
in  the  garden  which  has  been  laid  out  in  front  of  the 
house  ;  it  is  very  much  enlarged  and  the  trees  are 
growing  well. '  My  son's  room  which  adjoins  my  own 
has  been  furnished,  and  is  very  pretty. 

"  On  the  9th  I  lunched  with  my  ladies,  each  of 
whom  related  her  adventures.  We  were  gay  and 
happy  because  we  were  nearing  Paris. 

"  At  one  o'clock  I  started  in  the  carriage  and 
arrived  without  mishap  at  the  Pont  Saint  Maxence, 
where  an  unfortunate  postilion  who  was  attached  to 
Prince  Aldobrandini's  carriage  broke  his  arm.  It  is 
really  very  sad,  but  I  feel  thankful  my  carriage  was 
not  to  blame,  for  whenever  I  am  the  innocent  cause 
of  such  a  misfortune,  I  invariably  reproach  myself 
with  it.  Finally,  at  half-past  seven  in  the  evening, 
we  arrived  in  good  health  at  Saint-Cloud,  where  I 
found  my  son,  much  improved." 


CHAPTEK  IX 

JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG,  1813 

ALTHOUGH  after  his  recent  interview  with  Metternich, 
the  Emperor  could  no  longer  doubt  the  adhesion 
of  Austria  to  the  Coalition,  he  wished  Marie-Louise 
to  be  kept  in  ignorance  of  it  until  the  last  moment. 
He  had  promised  to  assist  at  the  inauguration  of 
the  basin  at  Cherbourg,  but  being  unable  to  attend 
himself,  desired  the  Empress  to  represent  him. 

He  wrote  to  Cambaceres  on  August  12 :  "I  wish 
the  Empress  to  undertake  her  journey  to  Cherbourg, 
but  only  on  her  return  to  learn  all  this  [the  affair 
with  Austria] ;  let  her  start  on  the  17th."  She 
intended  to  leave  on  the  19th,  and  wrote :  "  The 
Emperor  will  send  me  to  Cherbourg  on  the  19th 
to  inspect  the  New  Port."  She  did  not  proceed, 
however,  until  the  23rd ;  and  the  following  is  her 
own  account  of  it : 

"  On  23rd  August,  at  eight  in  the  morning,  I  left 
Saint-Cloud  for  Cherbourg,  feeling  very  depressed 
and  therefore  without  any  interest  in  the  undertaking, 
for  I  detest  travelling  more  than  ever.  Moreover, 
I  am  certain  my  countenance  must  depress  every  one, 
for  I  feel  so  sad  and  have  no  wish  to  hide  it ;  also 
the  separation  from  my  son,  who  is  my  consolation 
during  the  Emperor's  absence,  is  very  trying  to  me. 

209 


210     JOUKNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [On.  IX 

All  this  put  me  in  such  a  bad  humour  that  I  was 
silent  during  the  whole  of  the  first  stage,  and  entirely 
oblivious  to  the  beauties  of  the  route  as  far  as  St. 
Germain;  however,  the  cheers  of  the  young  people 
from  the  Ecole,  who  had  come  out  on  horseback 
to  meet  me,  at  length  aroused  me  from  my  thoughts. 

"  We  changed  horses  very  quickly  and  afterwards 
went  through  an  exceedingly  beautiful  part  of  the 
forest.  The  road  as  far  as  Melun  with  its  slopes  covered 
with  vines  and  fruit  trees  attracted  me  very  much, 
also  the  charming  country  houses,  one  in  particular, 
which  lies  on  the  left,  along  the  bank  of  the  Seine, 
with  a  large  garden  on  the  right  hand. 

"  Melun  itself  is  a  detestable  little  town  if  all  the 
houses  resemble  the  one  where  we  lunched,  it  must 
be  renowned  for  its  dirtiness.  We  were  obliged 
to  pass  through  the  kitchen  and  a  horrible  dark 
passage  to  reach  the  dining-room,  and  risked  our 
lives  owing  to  two  or  three  grimalkins  which  ran 
through  our  legs!  But  these  little  accidents  only 
add  to  the  amusement  of  a  journey. 

"Two  leagues  from  Melun  we  passed  M.  de  St. 
Aignan's  house  which  looks  quite  attractive ;  his 
little  children  were  walking  in  the  garden,  looking 
as  pretty  as  loves. 

"  The  road  passed  through  the  avenues  of  the 
fine  park  of  Rosny,  leaving  the  ancient  castle  to 
the  right,  along  the  bank  of  the  Seine,  until  it  ascends 
a  steep  slope  from  which  a  glorious  view  can  be 
obtained.  The  country  as  far  as  Evreux  is  not 
unpleasing,  particularly  the  approach  to  the  town 
where  wooded  hills  give  a  fine  effect. 

"  We  arrived   at  Evreux  at  five  o'clock.     The 


ACCIDENTS  ON  THE  JOURNEY       211 

postilions  drove  like  mad  into  the  town,  thereby 
causing  a  Brigadier-General  to  find  himself  in  danger 
of  his  life  between  the  carriage  and  the  houses,  which 
gave  us  a  terrible  fright.  There  are  truly  many 
things  to  make  one's  blood  curdle  during  a  journey, 
and  the  doctors  who  always  scold  when  one  returns 
ill  after  a  journey,  should  really  forbid  the  Generals 
getting  caught  between  the  wheels,  and  the  postilions 
falling  off  their  horses. 

"I  lodged  at  the  Prefecture  at  the  house  of  M. 
de  Micomes  (Miramon),  Chamberlain  to  the  Emperor, 
where  I  was  made  exceedingly  comfortable  in  four 
rooms  with  a  very  pretty  garden  in  front  of  my 
window. 

"  Some  excellent  cream  was  brought  me  of  which 
I  longed  to  partake,  but  thought  of  M.  Corvisart 
and  sacrificed  myself  to  his  wishes.  This  was  not 
easy  but  was  commendable,  for  he  never  knew  of  it. 

"Evreux  is  a  town  of  16,000  inhabitants,  with 
scarcely  any  commerce.  After  dinner  I  received 
the  authorities,who  treated  me  to  some  rather  ludicrous 
speeches.  Little  girls  came  to  offer  me  flowers, 
and  a  concert  was  given  in  the  salon.  Verses  were 
sung  and  a  pretty  young  lady  played  the  harp, 
also  one  of  the  Guard  of  Honour  the  bassoon.  The 
garden  and  the  town  was  illuminated. 

"  At  eight  o'clock  next  day  I  left  for  Caen,  passing 
on  the  left  the  Chateau  de  Navarre,  which  has  a 
somewhat  Gothic  appearance,  at  the  end  of  a  fine 
avenue.  We  followed  this  beautiful  road  across 
a  great  plain  to  the  river  Thibouville,  running  through 
a  fairly  broad  valley  surrounded  by  high  hills.  A 
very  clear  little  stream  runs  at  the  bottom  of  it. 


212    JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [Cn.  IX 

I  stopped  for  lunch  at  a  place  called  La  Riviere 
Thibouville  where  is  a  castle  belonging  to  the  Chevalier 
de  Reveillac,  very  badly  kept  but  in  superb  sur- 
roundings. From  the  terrace  a  view  of  the  whole 
valley  can  be  obtained;  the  village  is  on  the  left 
and  on  a  hill  are  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  abbey.  On 
leaving  this  we  crossed  a  large  part  of  the  park  where 
there  are  magnificent  forest  trees. 

"  The  country  is  extremely  beautiful,  and  is  quite 
enchanting  from  the  hill  of  Lisieux  which  is  rather 
steep.  The  town  lies  in  the  valley,  approached 
through  gardens  and  meadows  and  orchards ;  the 
scenery  recalls  Brussels  on  the  side  towards  Laeken. 

"  On  passing  through  Lisieux,  I  was  welcomed 
in  a  truly  touching  manner.  Generally,  throughout 
Normandy  every  one  is  sincerely  attached  to  the 
Emperor,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  these  good  people 
impressed  me  much. 

"  The  Mayor  and  a  number  of  young  ladies  dressed 
in  white  awaited  me  at  a  triumphal  arch,  where 
twelve  charming  little  fountains  had  been  arranged, 
from  which  water  was  playing.  They  wished  to 
present  me  with  flowers,  so  I  called  out  to  the  Equerry 
to  stop,  but  General  Caffarelli,  who  feared  they 
were  going  to  eat  me  (always  being  suspicious), 
made  a  sign  to  go  on,  consequently  I  was  not  listened 
to,  for  in  this  world  those  who  make  themselves 
feared  are  always  obeyed ;  the  inhabitants  therefore 
were  much  disappointed.  I  told  them  I  would 
take  luncheon  there  on  my  return. 

"  The  country  is  delightful  to  within  a  few  leagues 
of  Caen,  with  its  orchards  and  meadows,  where  the 
finest  cattle  are  fattened ;  there  are  some  splendid 


CAEN  213 

herds  and  excellent  butter  and  good  cream  are  made 
in  Normandy.  I  must  confess  my  virture  was  not 
equal  to  the  last  occasion,  for  I  succumbed  to  the 
temptation,  regardless  of  the  result. 

"The  Cauchoises  (women  of  the  Pays  de  Caux) 
are  first  seen  in  this  part,  recognisable  at  once  by 
their  caps,  which  are  pointed  and  have  two  lappets. 
They  are  a  very  fine  race.  We  noticed  many  beauti- 
ful peasant  women. 

"Farther  on  the  landscape  is  less  attractive,  for 
it  is  much  flatter,  consequently  Caen  may  be  seen 
from  a  long  distance.  We  arrived  at  five  o'clock. 
I  was  comfortable  in  the  house  of  a  pay-master ; 
the  Prefecture  was  being  built. 

"  Caen  is  rather  picturesque  and  has  a  population 
of  between  20,000  and  30,000,  who  make  a  kind  of 
lace,  also  cotton  stockings,  but  they  are  worthless 
because  they  are  bleached  in  lime  water.  There 
is  a  magnificent  church  built  of  white  marble  by 
William  the  Conqueror,  in  which  he  is  buried ;  it  has 
splendid  stained  glass  windows. 

"  After  dinner  I  undertook  my  habitual  task  of 
receiving  the  local  authorities.  Rank  is  truly  a 
mixed  blessing,  for  it  necessitates  the  holding  of 
receptions  though  one  may  be  fatigued,  and  though 
longing  to  weep,  the  obligation  to  laugh ;  and  one 
is  never  even  pitied. 

"After  this  a  delightful  fete  was  given  for  me  in 
the  garden  of  M.  Michin,  at  which  all  the  ladies 
of  Caen,  dressed  as  Cauchoises,  were  arranged  in 
a  circle.  Madame  Michin  sang  some  verses  in  honour 
of  me,  accompanied  by  the  choir.  After  this,  one 
of  the  Guard  of  Honour  in  peasant  dress  offered 


214     JOUKNEY  TO  CHEKBOURG  [On.  IX 

me  a  bull,  meanwhile  making  a  speech,  delivered  with 
much  enthusiasm,  and  the  prettiest  little  girl  imaginable 
was  brought  seated  between  two  barrels,  one  of 
cider  and  the  other  of  milk,  of  which  she  scattered 
some  drops.  Another  member  of  the  Guard  of  Honour 
presented  me  with  a  superb  bay  horse,  with  the  request 
that  I  would  name  him  Calvados.  The  fete  ended 
with  a  Norman  Ronde  (roundelay)  composed  of  some 
very  pretty  couplets,  and  was  most  charming  and 
well  carried  out. 

"  I  left  Caen  at  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
25th,  thankful  to  be  on  the  move  again,  for  this 
was  the  only  means  of  escaping  the  tiresome  con- 
gratulations of  an  immense  number  of  persons  who 
were  either  hostile  to  me  or  at  the  best  quite  indifferent. 

"  The  scenery  is  much  the  same  as  that  through 
which  I  passed  on  the  previous  evening.  At  ten 
o'clock  I  reached  Bayeux,  a  pretty  little  town  with 
7000  people,  where  a  kind  of  lace  is  made,  similar 
to  that  of  Caen. 

"  Hardly  had  I  put  the  first  morsel  in  my  mouth 
when  M.  de  Beam  bothered  me  to  know  if  I  would 
hear  Mass,  asking  what  I  would  like  to  do ;  his 
importunity  threw  me  into  a  passion.  Truly  he 
deserved  the  nickname  of  M.  1'Embarras,  for  it 
describes  his  whole  character.  Since  it  was  necessary 
to  make  up  my  mind,  I  decided  to  go  in  procession 
to  the  canopy  prepared  in  this  beautiful  church, 
which  is  large  and  Gothic  in  style ;  it  also  was  built 
in  the  time  of  William  the  Conqueror. 

"  After  Mass,  the  Bishop  kept  me  waiting  a  good 
quarter  of  an  hour  while  he  was  making  his  toilet ; 
usually  I  laugh  at  these  disturbances,  but  this  time 


ARRIVAL  AT  CHERBOURG  215 

I  was  too  angry,  I  was  suffering,  I  was  catching  cold, 
and  am  sure  the  inhabitants  of  Bayeux,  on  seeing 
me  pass,  must  have  said  '  What  an  ugly  and  ill- 
tempered  Empress ! ' 

"Eight  leagues  from  here  we  crossed  the  Day 
at  low  tide.  This  is  an  arm  of  the  sea  over  which 
there  is  a  bridge  (as  also  over  the  river  Conce)  and 
reached  Courlan  (Carentan),  a  small  ugly  town  and 
unwholesome  on  account  of  the  marshes  which 
surround  it.  The  Emperor  has  already  done  a  great 
deal  to  make  the  district  more  healthy,  but  there 
still  remains  much  to  be  done. 

"  The  scenery  is  everywhere  very  pretty  as  far 
as  Valogne(s),  a  small  town  famous  for  its  horse 
fairs,  the  most  celebrated  in  Normandy. 

"  The  dust  was  terrible  all  along  the  road,  which 
became  very  bad  and  stony,  and  we  were  so  jolted 
it  was  impossible  to  sit  upright.  The  landscape 
was  no  compensation,  for  there  was  nothing  to  see 
but  heaths  and  thickets,  while  we  continued  up  and 
down  hill,  impatiently  awaiting  the  moment  when 
the  sea  should  appear  in  view.  Owing  to  the  tardiness 
of  the  Bishop  of  Bayeux  we  did  not  reach  Cherbourg 
until  nine  o'clock,  tired  to  death,  and  very  anxious 
to  find  a  comfortable  bed. 

"  I  was  pleased  to  find  myself  once  again  in  the 
house  I  had  occupied  two  years  ago,  for  the  memories 
of  that  journey  when  I  was  so  happy  and  light-hearted 
were  very  pleasant,  but  what  a  difference  now  ! 

"My  room  is  the  Emperor's  bedroom,  looking 
on  to  a  wretched  little  courtyard  where  nothing 
can  be  seen,  and  into  which  all  the  nasty  smells 
come  from  the  kitchen. 


216     JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [On.  IX 

"Cherbourg  contains  only  7000  or  8000  people, 
but  the  town  appears  much  larger  than  it  really 
is ;  there  are  quantities  of  dirty  little  streets  and 
not  one  fine  mansion. 

"  On  the  26th  I  went  to  see  the  dock,  which  was 
still  empty  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  that  had  been 
made ;  the  water  had  penetrated  a  little  and  had 
risen  over  2  feet,  but  a  dry  place  had  been  kept 
at  which  I  went  down.  The  medals  and  screwplate 
had  been  buried  there.  I  remained  there  for  some 
moments  and  was  the  last  person  to  set  foot  on  it. 
CafEarelli  left  one  of  his  spurs  behind,  which  caused 
us  much  amusement. 

"  This  dock  is  a  very  fine  piece  of  work,  it  is  50 
feet  high,  and  in  order  to  excavate  it  an  enormous 
rock  had  to  be  blasted  and  hollowed  out,  they  have 
been  working  at  it  for  ten  years  and  the  dam  alone 
cost  two  millions :  it  has  an  immense  framework 
which  is  blocked  up  with  earth  and  clay,  a  portion  of 
which  is  to  be  cut  out  to-morrow.  In  order  to  do 
this  workmen  are  let  down  by  a  rope  on  the  side 
towards  the  sea  and  then  saw  through  it,  two  steam 
pumps  meanwhile  suck  out  the  water  that  leaks  in. 

"  A  second  dock  is  to  be  constructed  which  will 
take  two  years  to  complete  ;  it  will  not  be  so  difficult 
because  the  water  will  enter  from  the  first  basin 
by  a  simple  dam.  It  is  a  masterpiece  worthy  of  the 
creative  genius  of  the  Emperor. 

"  From  there  I  went  to  see  the  place  for  repairing 
the  large  ships,  which  is  entirely  built  of  stone,  and 
a  spring  of  fresh  water  has  been  led  to  it.  The 
whole  dockyard  is  like  this,  made  of  enormous  stones 
weighted  with  lead,  constructed  by  Spanish  prisoners. 


CONVICTS  AND  THEIR  GUARDS      217 

"  One  meets  convicts  here,  the  murderers  wearing 
green  caps,  the  others  red,  and  it  is  very  sad  to  see 
a  deserter  attached  to  the  same  chain  as  a  malefactor. 
In  the  galleys  here  is  a  Sous-prefet,  a  Cure  with 
his  Vicaire,and  a  Mayor,  the  latter  for  having  exempted 
his  only  son  from  conscription.  When  they  attempt 
to  escape  the  guns  are  fired  three  times,  and  as  soon 
as  they  hear  them  the  guards  station  themselves 
on  the  roads  to  St.  Lo  and  Nay,  so  that  all  means 
of  escape  is  cut  off. 

"Afterwards  I  received  the  authorities,  two  of 
whom  made  me  such  ridiculous  speeches  that  every 
one  burst  out  laughing.  I  refrained,  but  no  merit 
is  due  to  me,  for  I  have  not  been  able  to  laugh  since 
last  year. 

"I  drove  in  a  barouche  towards  Valogne(s)  to  a 
pretty  country  seat  belonging  to  M.  Dumancel, 
the  park  of  which  is  large,  but  the  house  atrocious. 
They  do  not  obtain  the  advantages  they  might 
from  it. 

"  On  the  return  journey,  the  view  is  magnificent ; 
from  the  main  road  the  sea  can  be  seen,  with  the 
boats  in  the  roadstead  and  the  ships  of  the  line. 
We  saw  two  of  the  enemy's  vessels  from  a  long  way 
off,  also  the  camp  of  the  national  guard  which  was 
pitched  on  a  hill.  It  is  a  pity  that  the  road,  being  so 
bad,  should  make  the  drive  such  a  penance.  In 
the  evening  some  young  ladies  presented  me  with 
flowers.  On  the  estate  of  M.  Dumancel  there  are 
some  magnificent  larches  and  some  fairly  large 
thujas. 

"  On  the  27th,  the  day  fixed  for  the  opening  of 
the  dock,  the  weather  was  shocking ;  the  sea 


218     JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [On.  IX 

was  very  rough,  so  it  was  decided  the  ceremony 
could  not  take  place  before  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon. 

"  I  drove  to  the  shore  near  Fort  Kerkervitz  (Quer- 
queville)  and  took  a  walk.  The  road  was  not  very 
good  and  one  sank  halfway  up  one's  legs  in  the  sand. 
I  looked  for  shells  but  did  not  find  any  that  were 
very  pretty.  We  saw  a  number  of  little  crabs  of 
different  colours.  Five  enemy  vessels  were  in  sight, 
but  they  could  not  come  near  on  account  of  the  wind, 
which  was  terrific.  There  is  not  much  good  fish 
to  be  had  in  these  parts,  for  what  fish  there  is  has 
to  be  brought  from  a  distance  of  ten  or  twelve  leagues, 
but  the  crayfish  and  lobsters  are  excellent.  As 
there  is  no  fear  of  being  scolded  for  eating  them 
during  my  sojourn  here,  I  do  so  to  the  point  of  indiges- 
tion; however,  I  shall  be  obliged  to  confess  it  in 
Paris,  but  I  hardly  think  I  shall  dare  to  do  so. 

"  I  returned  at  three  o'clock.  On  the  journey  back 
we  were  told  that  at  a  place  under  the  sea  an  ancient 
forest  could  be  seen  at  very  low  water,  but  though 
the  tide  was  very  low  I  could  see  nothing. 

"  On  returning  to  the  Mairie,  the  Minister  told 
me  that  the  dock  could  not  be  ready  before  half- 
past  three.  We  were  put  off  like  this  from  hour 
to  hour  until  six  o'clock.  I  know  nothing  more 
vexatious  than  this  uncertainty,  for  it  prevents 
me  doing  anything  to  pass  the  time,  not  daring 
to  undertake  anything  serious,  so  we  consoled  our- 
selves by  reading  about  a  dispute  between  a  doctor 
and  a  painter,  which  was  very  amusing,  particularly 
the  doctor's  remarks. 

"  At  last,  at  six  o'clock,  the  Minister  came  for  me 


THE  DAM  BURSTS  UNEXPECTEDLY    219 

and  took  us  down  a  slope  at  the  side  of  the  dam, 
where  it  was  so  cold  that  two  shawls  and  a  fur-lined 
redingote  were  not  sufficient  to  keep  me  warm. 

"  The  water  was  already  coming  in  at  two  openings, 
and  made  a  cascade  15  feet  high,  a  third  aperture 
was  soon  forced,  but  the  dam  did  not  look  as  though 
it  would  break.  M.  Cachin  was  in  a  very  bad  temper 
because  his  coup  de  theatre  had  not  come  off. 

"  During  this  time  all  the  ships,  dressed  with 
flags,  were  passing  in  front  of  the  dock.  The  Admiral 
caused  them  to  make  some  splendid  and  very  daring 
manoeuvres  by  turning  completely  round.  Had 
he  been  a  little  less  adroit  the  vessels  must  have 
collided,  and  undoubtedly  one  would  have  sunk. 

"At  half-past  seven,  the  water  had  not  yet  risen, 
and  I  was  in  such  a  bad  humour  at  having  to  wait  for 
nothing  that  I  returned  home.  At  nine  o'clock  the 
Minister  arrived  in  great  consternation  to  tell  us 
the  dam  had  given  way  without  our  having  seen  it. 
'  The  cascade  is  still  superb :  will  you  just  come  and 
look  at  it  ? '  So  we  hurried  back  to  the  dock,  but 
at  a  quarter-past  nine  there  were  no  more  cascades  ; 
the  basin  was  full,  and  the  water  as  calm  as  if  it  had 
been  there  for  many  centuries  ! 

"  They  told  me  that  at  nine  o'clock  the  increased 
pressure  of  the  water  against  the  dam  had  carried 
away  a  piece  over  30  feet  in  width,  with  a  horrible 
crash  which  had  made  the  ground  shake. 

"  I  shall  never  forgive  myself  for  having  missed 
this  spectacle,  the  more  so  as  it  was  for  this  that 
I  had  come  to  Cherbourg.  They  are  now  going 
to  remove  the  rest  of  the  dam. 

"  The  night  was  fine  and  warm,  which  was  really 


220     JOUENEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [On.  IX 

surprising  after  the  cold  of  the  day.  We  were  obliged 
to  enter  our  carriages  again  to  watch  the  10,000 
rockets  which  were  to  be  sent  up  from  the  Forfc 
of  Le  Roule ;  but,  as  one  misfortune  never  comes 
without  another,  the  Prince  Albodrandini  made 
us  wander  through  the  whole  town  with  the  result 
that  we  arrived  half  an  hour  too  late.  Perhaps 
it  was  no  great  misfortune. 

"  Malicious  tongues  say  that  the  10,000  rockets 
were  limited  to  five  or  six  and  even  these  did  not 
go  off. 

"  On  the  28th,  as  the  sea  was  a  little  less  rough, 
I  took  the  opportunity  to  make  an  excursion  on  the 
water,  so  we  went  out  by  the  Pont  des  Marchands  : 
in  the  roadstead  we  pitched  and  rolled,  but  in  spite 
of  my  wish  to  be  seasick  in  order  to  cure  my  cold, 
my  wishes  were  not  granted.  However,  the  sea 
was  sufficiently  rough  for  Mile.  Montalivet  to  almost 
die  of  sickness. 

"  We  landed  on  the  dyke,  which  is  a  league  away 
in  the  roadstead.  For  thirty  years  they  have  been 
working  on  it,  but  it  is  not  yet  finished,  and  only 
by  sulking  stones  at  random  into  the  sea  have  they 
been  able  to  raise  up  what  remains  of  it.  They 
have  now  constructed  the  Napoleon  Battery,  which 
has  been  raised  25  feet  higher  in  the  last  two  years 
at  the  cost  of  incredible  labour. 

"  The  Minister  had  put  up  a  very  pretty  tent  for 
us,  from  which  we  admired  the  seashore,  the  town 
of  Cherbourg,  the  ships  in  the  roadstead,  and  the 
sea  which  had  become  perfectly  calm. 

"  They  showed  me  the  place  where,  in  1809,  147 
men  perished  in  the  dyke ;  they  went  to  sleep  one 


VISITS   TO  THE  BATTLESHIPS        221 

day  never  to  wake  up  again,  the  sea  having  carried 
them  away  with  the  fort.  Only  one  remained 
who,  being  drunk,  had  found  shelter  in  a  hole,  and 
was  greatly  astonished  next  day  to  find  himself 
alone  upon  the  dyke. 

"  There  is  now  a  shelter  to  which  the  garrison  can 
be  withdrawn  at  the  slightest  risk. 

"  On  returning  to  Cherbourg  we  went  on  board 
the  ship  Amiral  le  Courageux,  of  82  guns.  We 
partook  of  refreshment  in  the  captain's  cabin.  The 
Admiral  assured  us  we  should  find  every  convenience 
of  life  in  sucE  a  vessel.  A  battleship,  however, 
is  a  sorry  dwelling.  The  troops  went  through  some 
manoeuvres. 

"  I  descended  to  the  first  and  second  gun-decks, 
but  did  not  venture  into  the  hold  where  the  wounded 
are  put,  because  to  do  so  entailed  climbing  down 
a  ladder  at  the  risk  of  showing  my  legs  ! 

"  The  other  vessels  in  the  harbour  are  the  Polonais, 
Talemine,  and  the  Iphigenie,  frigates,  brigs,  and 
corvettes.  On  our  way  back  to  Cherbourg  all  the 
vessels  saluted  us.  I  find  the  noise  of  the  cannon 
very  trying,  especially  so  just  now. 

"  In  the  evening  there  was  a  theatrical  performance, 
in  an  ugly  hall  which  was  badly  lighted,  and  only 
holds  400  people.  They  gave  us  Le  Petit  Mateldt, 
into  which  they  had  introduced  some  verses  for  me 
which  drew  particular  attention  to  my  presence. 
This  annoyed  me  very  much  and  caused  me  so  much 
embarrassment  that  I  did  not  know  how  to  hide 
myself. 

"  I  cannot  endure  these  barefaced  flatteries, 
especially  when  they  are  not  true,  and  particularly 


222     JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [On.  IX 

when  they  say  how  beautiful  I  am !  I  only  like  one 
form  of  praise,  that  is  when  the  Emperor  or  my 
friends  say  to  me,  '  I  am  pleased  with  you,'  which 
makes  me  anxious  to  do  still  better ;  but  this  evening 
I  was  so  angry  I  coughed  for  over  an  hour  and  could 
willingly  have  beaten  every  one. 

"Again,  on  the  29th  we  went  on  the  sea;  it  was 
rougher  than  yesterday,  the  pitching  was  intolerable, 
and  we  were  quite  unable  to  get  near  Fort  Imperial 
which  was  the  object  of  our  trip ;  it  is  situated  on 
the  Isle  Pelee  in  a  line  with  the  dyke.  After  trying 
for  two  hours  we  were  obliged  to  return  to  the  place 
where  the  fishing  was  to  begin,  and  in  order  to  land, 
had  to  get  into  a  small  boat  while  the  ship  rocked 
so  much,  that  we  ran  a  risk  jumping  from  it, 
or  falling  into  the  sea  between  the  ship  and  the  boat. 

"  The  tide  was  too  low  for  us  to  land  outright, 
so  we  were  carried  in  chairs  to  the  spot  where  the 
fishing  began.  I  watched  it  from  my  carriage  ;  five 
nets  were  used  along  the  shore  as  far  as  the  port 
of  Cherbourg.  The  casts  were  not  very  successful 
as  only  small  fish  were  taken.  These  included  grey 
mullet,  plaice  which  are  a  beautiful  green  colour, 
skate,  also  quite  small  cuttlefish  which  make  the 
water  black  when  they  are  touched,  also  crabs  and 
an  octopus  so  frightful  that  I  shall  not  forget  its 
appearance  for  a  long  time.  It  had  a  red  body 
with  a  pouch  and  a  dozen  legs  or  arms,  the  colour 
of  raw  meat,  which  it  extended  at  will  and  twisted 
round  one  so  that  it  became  impossible  to  release 
one's  self.  The  English  came  so  near  that  we  thought 
it  prudent  to  retire. 

"  In  the  evening  all  the  battleships  were  illuminated ; 


MATHILDE,  QUEEN  OF  ENGLAND     223 

they  gave  a  fete  for  me  at  night  which  was  not  bad 
for  this  little  town. 

"  I  am  always  amused  at  fetes  given  for  me  person- 
ally, because  some  people  dance  so  absurdly.  Among 
others  there  was  a  lady  who  lifted  her  foot  so  high 
that  we  could  see  her  leg  as  far  as  the  knee,  also 
a  gentleman  who  danced  like  SL  lobster  opening  its 
claws. 

"  On  the  30th  there  was  so  much  wind  we  could 
not  go  on  the  sea ;  the  ladies  tried  it  for  a  short  time 
but  were  obliged  to  return  at  the  end  of  a  quarter 
of  an  hour.  I  had  a  great  desire  to  go  too,  because 
they  told  me  it  was  impossible,  being  blessed  with 
the  spirit  of  contradiction  to  a  considerable  extent ; 
but  the  Minister  would  not  allow  it  as  he  feared 
the  danger.  I  was  therefore  obliged  to  content 
myself  with  going  over  the  Zelandois,  a  vessel  on  the 
stocks  which  is  to  be  launched  on  September  10 ; 
it  also  has  82  guns  and  is  quite  finished  with  the 
exception  of  the  masts,  but  is  not  yet  equipped. 
The  place  where  the  Zelandois  lies  is  remarkable 
because  it  is  where  the  first  houses  of  Cherbourg 
were  founded. 

"  One  reads  in  the  ancient  chronicles  that  towards 
the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century,  Mathilde,  grand- 
daughter of  William  the  Conqueror,  Queen  of  England, 
and  Duchess  of  Normandy,  was  caught  in  a  violent 
storm  not  far  from  the  port  of  Cherbourg,  and  believing 
herself  about  to  perish,  she  made  a  vow  to  sing 
a  hymn  in  honour  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  to  found 
an  Abbey  in  her  name  at  the  place  where  the  vessel 
could  make  a  landing.  The  pilot  on  seeing  land 
and  apprehending  a  safe  arrival,  cried  out  in  a  trans- 


224     JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [On.  IX 

port  of  joy :  *  Cante  Regne,  vechi  terra '  (Sing,  0 
Queen,  behold  the  land) !  The  grateful  Mathilde 
fell  on  her  knees,  sang  the  hymn,  and  caused  a  chapel 
to  be  constructed  near  the  stream  where  she  landed, 
which  still  bears  the  name  of '  Chantereine.' 

"This  chapel,  the  ruins  of  which  could  be  seen 
down  to  1790,  was  situated  a  little  above  the  place 
where  the  Zelandois  is  being  constructed  at  this 
moment. 

"  Constant  to  her  vow,  Mathilde  also  founded 
the  Abbey  of  Cherbourg,  which  is  served  by  regular 
Canons  of  the  Order  of  St.  Augustine,  and  was  razed  to 
the  ground  by  Charles  II.,  King  of  Navarre,  for  fear 
the  English  should  come  there ;  the  chapel  of  Notre 
Dame  du  Voeu  subsequently  suffered  the  same  fate. 

"  Both  the  Abbey  and  Chapel  were  rebuilt,  but 
a  little  above  the  original  site.  It  still  stands  quite 
near  the  Chantereine  stream,  and  the  ancient  Abbey 
of  Cherbourg  has  been  converted  into  a  naval  hospital 
since  the  Revolution.  The  Abbot,  now  Cardinal 
de  Bayonne,  was  the  last  Commendatory  Abbot 
of  the  Abbey  of  Cherbourg.  Up  to  the  Revolution, 
Mass  was  said  almost  daily  in  the  chapel  of  Notre 
Dame  du  Voeu. 

"It  is  to  her,  following  the  example  of  Mathilde, 
that  sailors  in  peril  from  storms  address  themselves. 
Scarcely  had  they  landed  when  they  went  in  a  pro- 
cession to  discharge  their  vows,  with  every  sign 
of  respect  and  gratitude  to  the  Star  of  the  Sea.  In 
1790,  this  chapel  was  transformed  into  a  powder 
magazine. 

"It  is  to  Charles  VI.  that  France  is  indebted  for 
the  possession  of  Cherbourg,  but  the  English,  profiting 


A  RELIGIOUS  MODEL  225 

by  the  unfortunate  illness  of  this  monarch,  descended 
upon  Normandy  with  50,000  men.  Being  unsuccess- 
ful in  taking  Cherbourg,  which  was  vigorously  defended 
by  the  inhabitants,  they  bribed  the  governor  with 
money,  and  this  place  was  surrendered  to  them  in 
1418.  Charles  VII.,  however,  drove  them  out  in  1450. 

"  The  inhabitants  of  Cherbourg  remained  devoted 
to  their  legitimate  sovereigns  and  made  a  vow  to 
God  (during  the  thirty-two  years  that  they  lived  under 
the  dominion  of  the  English,  from  1418  to  1450) 
that  if  they  were  delivered  from  the  yoke  of  these 
islanders  they  would  erect  in  the  church,  to  the 
honour  of  the  Virgin,  a  monument  representing 
her  Assumption  into  Heaven.  This  monument  was 
executed  under  the  direction  of  Jean  Amber,  an 
architect  of  Cherbourg,  and  was  completed  in  1468, 
when  it  was  placed  under  the  vault  of  the  nave  of 
Notre  Dame  de  la  Montee,  and  is  now  in  the  parish 
church. 

"  This  model  consisted  of  figures  moved  by  springs, 
and  represented  the  coronation  of  the  Mother  of 
God  in  Heaven. 

"  This  pious  spectacle  attracted  a  great  crowd 
of  people  to  Cherbourg,  during  the  solemn  religious 
ceremonies,  especially  on  the  Feast  of  the  Assumption. 
It  gave  birth  to  an  illustrious  and  numerous  Con- 
fraternity composed  of  all  the  nobility  of  France, 
England,  and  Holland,  and  was  distinguished  by  having 
at  its  head  Cardinal  George  of  Austria,  Archbishop  of 
Valence,  uncle  of  Charles  V. 

"  This  monument  ceased  to  work  in  1704,  on  account 
of  a  fatal  accident  that  occurred  during  the  ceremony, 
but  remained  under  the  vaulting  of  Notre  Dame 


226     JOUKNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [On.  IX 

de  la  Montee  until  the  commencement  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. 

"  On  April  28, 1532,  King  Francis  I.  came  to  Cher- 
bourg. The  keys  of  the  town  were  presented  to 
him  by  Jean  Lasne,  Governor  of  the  place,  who, 
at  the  head  of  the  twelve  most  notable  burghers, 
delivered  an  address  to  his  Majesty  at  the  door  of 
Notre  Dame. 

"  The  King  then  took  his  place  under  the  canopy, 
entered  the  town,  and  was  conducted  to  the  church, 
in  the  centre  of  which  he  placed  himself  on  the  throne  ; 
the  Te  Deum  was  intoned  by  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine, 
who  had  accompanied  the  Dauphin  on  this  journey. 
After  this  homage,  rendered  to  the  Supreme  Being, 
the  King  retired  to  the  castle,  remained  there  three 
days,  and  granted  complete  freedom  to  the  town. 

"  The  inhabitants  of  Cherbourg  had  amassed  the 
sum  of  twenty-eight  thousand  francs  to  complete  the 
west  door  of  the  aforesaid  church,  but  Francis,  having 
been  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Pavia,  the  town 
of  Cherbourg  allocated  this  sum  for  the  ransom  of 
its  sovereign. 

"  In  1366,  when  the  town  of  Cherbourg  belonged 
to  Charles  II.,  King  of  Navarre,  this  prince,  in  order 
to  confer  honour  on  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  in 
consideration  of  the  bravery  with  which  they  had 
attacked  and  repulsed  the  English  in  their  district, 
created  them  all  Barons.  An  inhabitant  of  Cherbourg 
was  addressed  as  pere  a  baron. 

"This  town,  where  affection  for  the  sovereign 
is  a  distinctive  and  hereditary  quality,  has  for  its 
motto  these  words  :  '  Semper  sui  conservatrix.' 

"  After  seeing  the  Zelandois  I  embarked  on  the 


A  MAKVELLOUS  GARDEN  227 

basin  in  order  to  say  I  had  been  all  over  it.  The 
water  was  very  calm,  some  vessels  were  trying  to 
enter  by  the  opening  in  the  dam,  but  it  was  not  yet 
large  enough,  and  the  sea  was  so  rough  they  were 
unable  to  come  through  it. 

"  I  went  round  three  times,  and  afterwards  drove 
to  the  garden  of  M.  Cachin,  the  chief  engineer, 
which  is  situated  at  the  far  end  of  the  town,  on  the 
road  to  Valogne(s) ;  it  is  very  small,  not  exceeding 
two  and  a  half  arpens  (arpent  =  F?en.ch  acre,  nearly 
four  English  acres),  but  is  so  well  laid  out  that  to  walk 
there  for  more  than  an  hour,  always  by  a  different 
path,  is  quite  possible.  The  house  is  quite  small, 
having  only  three  rooms.  Farther  on  there  is  a 
billiard-room  cut  out  of  the  rock,  and  the  garden  is 
arranged  to  make  Le  Roule  appear  to  be  included 
in  it.  It  is  bounded  by  a  stream  of  very  clear  water, 
up  which  salmon  of  twenty  to  thirty  pounds 
sometimes  come  in  bad  weather. 

"A  very  beautiful  vie  wean  be  seen  from  the  top 
of  the  garden,  embracing  on  one  side  the  harbour, 
on  the  other  Le  Roule,  and  behind  are  the  main 
road  and  the  valleys  of  Valogne(s). 

"  The  garden  was  well  worth  the  difficulty  of  laying 
out,  for  when  M.  Cachin  bought  it  there  was  nothing 
but  a  barren  rock,  whereas  now  it  is  remarkable 
for  its  luxuriant  growth  and  beautiful  turf.  Myrtles 
and  hydrangeas  flourish  in  the  open  air ;  plants 
that  require  a  hothouse  in  Paris  grow  here  in  an 
ordinary  conservatory.  The  temperature  in  winter 
never  drops  below  two  degrees  and  snow  scarcely 
ever  falls,  but  the  weather  is  very  uncertain. 

"  At  four  o'clock  I  went  home  ;  the  weather  had 


228     JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [Cn.  IX 

become  piercingly  cold,  which  was  not  good  for 
my  cold  and  made  me  think  I  was  neglecting  M. 
Corvisart's  sermons  rather  too  much,  but  I  wish 
to  live  up  to  my  reputation  of  being  a  bad  patient. 

"  This  evening  there  was  a  theatrical  performance, 
happily  not  a  topical  piece,  in  which  case  I  had 
resolved  to  have  a  headache. 

"  On  the  31st,  I  wished  to  bid  farewell  to  the  sea, 
which  was  calm  enough  when  I  embarked,  but  at 
the  end  of  five  minutes  such  a  wind  arose,  I  was  unable 
to  do  any  of  the  things  I  had  intended.  We  drifted 
about  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves  for  an  hour,  and 
I  disembarked  at  the  Pont  des  Marchands  to  ascend 
Le  Roule  by  carriage.  The  road  thither  is  extremely 
bad  and  uneven,  and  it  is  necessary  to  make  a  detour 
to  get  up  it,  but  once  at  the  summit  one  is  rewarded 
by  the  beautiful  view  seen  from  this  fort,  which 
is  not  a  very  important  one.  Cherbourg  lies  at 
one's  feet  and  the  hills  to  the  left ;  to  the  right  is 
an  exquisite  valley  studded  with  country  houses 
and  woods,  and  in  front  lies  the  sea  more  than  fifteen 
leagues  in  extent,  which  makes  the  ships  look  like 
little  black  dots.  On  turning  round  to  look  at  the 
view  behind  me,  a  gust  of  wind  blew  such  a  cloud 
of  dust  into  my  eyes  that  I  was  obliged  to  give  it 
up  and  be  satisfied  to  be  told  that  it  was  magnificent. 

"  I  descended  on  foot  by  a  dreadful  path  covered 
with  pebbles  and  large  rolling  stones  which  were 
dangerous,  for  if  one  looked  at  the  view  instead  of 
the  road  one  ran  a  great  risk  of  laming  one's  self. 
Two  of  the  gentlemen  fell  down,  which  made  us  laugh 
very  much. 

"  With  maimed  feet  we  arrived  at  the  house,  where 


DEPARTURE  FROM  CHERBOURG  229 

I  was  most  agreeably  surprised  to  hear  the  good 
news  of  the  great  battle  of  Dresden  which  made 
our  last  evening  at  Cherbourg  very  lively.  Every 
one  was  so  pleased,  but  my  joy  was  not  entirely 
unmixed,  for  although  we  had  won  a  battle,  that 
would  not  bring  back  the  Emperor  to  me ;  this 
thought  poisoned  all  my  happiness. 

"  The  next  day  we  departed  at  eight  in  the  morning 
for  Caen.  The  Prince  (Aldobrandini)  had  got  it 
into  his  head  that  the  Day  must  not  be  passed  before 
five  o'clock,  hence  we  were  obliged  to  go  so  slowly 
that  I  was  seized  with  impatience ;  when  that 
passed  it  was  succeeded  by  ennui,  as  in  order  to 
distract  myself  I  went  on  eating  the  whole  day ; 
this  resulted  in  indigestion,  without  the  Prince 
having  any  idea  of  all  the  annoyances  he  was  causing. 
I  think  he  would  be  readily  consoled,  for  it  is  his 
habit  to  put  every  one  out  of  patience. 

"  I  reached  Bayeux  too  late  to  be  able  to  see  the 
tapestry  of  Queen  Mathilde.  We  had  only  time  to 
change  horses,  and  reached  Caen  at  ten  o'clock. 
I  left  again  at  half-past  eight  the  following  day,  and 
took  lunch  at  Lisieux,  in  a  very  fine  mansion. 

"  We  left  the  old  road  between  Marcheneuf  and 
Brienne ;  before  arriving  at  this  last  little  town, 
we  passed  through  a  charming  district,  after  which 
the  country  became  arid  and  the  road  hilly  until 
we  reached  a  very  beautiful  wood.  Farther  on  is 
a  fairly  steep  hill  from  which  the  view  is  quite  superb. 

"  The  Seme  flowed  below  on  the  left  hand  having 
country  houses  and  gardens  on  both  sides  of  it, 
with  hills  beyond,  while  on  the  far  horizon  others 
still  higher  appeared  ;  at  the  foot  of  these  the  spires 


230     JOUKNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [On.  IX 

of  the  city  of  Rouen  could  be  seen.  Thus  we  arrived 
at  Moulineaux  where  we  changed  horses.  I  could 
not  see  as  far  as  Rouen  for  it  became  dark,  but 
half  a  league  from  there  we  entered  a  fine  illuminated 
avenue  where  the  Mayor  was  awaiting  me. 

"The  road  into  Rouen  was  illuminated  round 
the  Pont  de  Bateaux,  and  the  boulevards  were  lit 
up  in  a  charming  fashion  by  a  garland  of  lanterns 
from  one  line  of  trees  to  the  other,  with  a  crown  on 
each  tree.  This  made  a  delightful  effect  from  a 
distance. 

"  I  stayed  with  the  Prefet,  M.  de  Girardin,  a  pleasant 
man  with  very  good  manners.  I  was  accommodated 
in  the  apartment  of  Mme.  Girardin,  overlooking 
a  small  garden  and  the  boulevards.  The  only 
drawback  was  the  impossibility  of  sleeping  there 
owing  to  the  noise  in  the  street,  which  was  terrible 
from  four  in  the  morning. 

"  To-day  I  arose  in  a  bad  humour,  having  no 
news  of  the  Emperor.  He  is  erratic.  I  realise 
he  forgets  me.  Ah,  it  is  only  we  women  who  love 
with  constancy !  Men  are  so  frivolous,  therefore  one 
should  not  take  it  too  seriously ;  unfortunately 
I  am  not  reasonable  enough  for  that,  but  I  shall 
punish  him  by  not  writing  to  him  for  a  week,  then 
he  will  realise  how  pleasant  it  is  ! 

"  The  weather  has  been  glorious  all  day.  At 
noon  I  received  the  local  officials  of  whom  there 
were  a  great  number. 

"  The  brother  of  the  Arch-Chancellor  is  here,  he 
is  a  bishop  and  a  fright.  Some  one  suggested  to 
me  he  should  be  put  in  a  glass  case  and  preserved 
as  a  curiosity  and  called  the  sea-monster ! 


ROUEN  '    231 

"  Rouen  is  a  very  large  town  ;  it  has  80,000 
inhabitants  and  much  trade,  especially  in  cotton 
goods  and  sweetmeats.  The  town  presented  me 
with  a  basket  of  bonbons. 

"  I  went  out  at  midday,  and  visited  the  stone 
bridge  the  Emperor  is  having  built,  which  will  be 
very  fine.  It  was  commenced  two  years  ago  and 
will  be  completed  in  eight.  It  is  a  difficult  undertaking 
because  the  water  is  40  feet  deep  at  this  spot.  I 
was  also  shown  the  plans  for  building  quays  and 
a  bourse  which  is  to  be  erected  on  the  bridge  ;  more 
benefits  from  the  Emperor  to  his  people,  how  then 
can  they  do  otherwise  than  cherish  and  adore  him  ? 

"  From  there  I  went  to  the  valley  of  Deval  (Deville), 
three  leagues  from  Rouen,  which  is  really  delightful. 
It  is  very  narrow  and  contains  many  country  houses 
with  delightful  gardens ;  the  wooded  hills  at  either 
side  belong  to  M.  Montaut  (Montault),  Chamberlain 
to  the  Emperor,  and  one  of  the  richest  landed  pro- 
prietors in  this  district. 

"  There  are  also  many  manufactures.  I  saw  one 
very  fine  spinning  mill,  which  employs  over  600 
workers,  and  spins  four  thousand  pounds  weight  of 
cotton  a  month.  Many  highly  ingenious  and  quite 
new  methods  are  employed,  but  I  am  not  sufficiently 
learned  to  explain  them.  This  is  the  only  house 
which  has  never  ceased  paying.  Next  to  this  the 
Mayor  of  Deville  had  a  factory  for  making  indian 
red,  which  I  went  to  see.  They  have  a  secret  for 
making  red  dyes,  as  fine  as  scarlet.  On  the  way 
back  to  Rouen  I  visited  a  factory  where  printed 
calicos  are  made.  I  printed  a  piece  of  calico  myself  ; 
some  of  these  are  exceedingly  pretty  and  are  in  great 


232     JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [On.  IX 

demand  in  this  district,  where  26,000  pieces  are 
made  annually.  The  garden  of  this  factory,  though 
small,  is  very  charming ;  they  have  made  a  pretty 
summer-house  out  of  a  dovecote ;  the  house  is 
furnished  with  exquisite  taste. 

"I  returned  to  Rouen  by  the  road  I  came  on. 
All  the  townspeople  were  on  the  boulevards.  I  walked 
for  a  little  while  in  the  garden  of  the  Prefecture, 
which  is  tiny ;  after  which,  on  entering  the  house 
again,  I  received  news  from  the  Emperor  which 
rilled  me  with  remorse  for  what  I  had  written  this 
morning !  It  is  true  that  though  we  may  not  be 
thoughtless,  at  least  we  judge  very  thoughtlessly. 
I  had  a  large  company  to  dinner,  at  which  I  con- 
versed with  the  Prefet,  and  listened  with  pleasure 
whilst  he  said  kind  things  about  our  friends  in  Paris  ; 
when  one  is  absent  it  is  a  very  great  pleasure  to  talk 
of  people  for  whom  one  feels  friendship. 

"  The  young  ladies  brought  me  a  basket  filled 
with  the  products  of  the  national  industry  and  were 
presented  to  me,  after  which  I  went  to  the  play. 
The  hall  is  very  pretty  and  circular.  They  performed 
Le  Billet  de  Loterie ;  the  music  would  have  been 
charming  had  it  been  better  executed.  After  that 
they  acted  a  topical  piece  for  me,  much  prettier 
and  more  simple  than  that  at  Cherbourg ;  otherwise 
I  had  decided  to  strike  out  half  the  couplets  before- 
hand. Between  the  two  acts  a  cantata  was  given 
composed  by  an  amateur.  The  fireworks  were 
extremely  good  I  was  told,  personally  I  preferred 
to  go  to  bed  rather  than  watch  them  ! 

"  I  left  Rouen  to-day  at  noon ;  it  took  us  over 
an  hour  to  pass  through  the  Boulevards  which 


END  OF  THIRD  DIARY,  SEPT.  5,  1813  233 

extended  over  a  league,  but  afterwards  we  travelled 
more  rapidly.  The  country  is  very  fine,  and  the  road 
continues  along  the  bank  of  the  Seine,  almost  the 
whole  distance,  by  many  beautiful  country  seats 
and  much  woodland,  until,  between  St.  Ouen  and  Notre 
Dame  du  Vaudreuil,  it  crosses  over  the  Pont-de-1'Arche 
which  the  Emperor  had  constructed  at  a  cost  of 
150,000  francs.  The  Seine  was  not  navigable  at 
this  point,  but  with  the  aid  of  two  sluices  and  a 
rock  built  up  from  the  bottom,  it  can  now  be  negotiated 
here  as  easily  as  anywhere  else.  The  road  as  far 
as  Rosny  is  as  pretty  as  the  last  we  travelled  on. 
We  dined  in  a  dirty  inn  at  Meulan  and  arrived  at 
one  in  the  morning  at  Saint-Cloud,  where  I  immediately 
made  a  vow  that  this  journey  should  be  the  last." 

What  more  need  be  said  ? 

This  journey  to  Cherbourg  immediately  preceded 
the  disaster  of  Leipsic,  and  from  that  moment  the 
Emperor  held  his  death  at  the  enemy's  hands  to  be 
the  best  solution.  The  defection  of  the  Austrians 
had  changed  the  whole  situation.  The  army  of  1813 
was  broken  up  and  forced  to  retreat  in  haste,  although, 
formidable  to  the  last,  it  crushed  the  Bavarians  who 
attempted  to  obstruct  its  retreat  to  Hanau. 

Throughout  these  disasters,  Marie-Louise  pursued 
her  customary  routine  and  contrived  to  show  a  smiling 
countenance  although  surrounded  by  traitors. 

Returning  on  November  9  to  Saint-Cloud,  the 
Emperor  was  unable  to  remain  there,  so  moved  into 
Paris  on  the  20th,  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  Marie- 
Louise,  for  it  was  said,  "  The  air  of  Saint-Cloud  suits 
her  better  than  that  of  Paris." 


234     JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [On.  IX 

The  Emperor  endeavoured  to  ascertain  if  lie  could 
rely  on  any  support  from  the  Government  by  enlarg- 
ing on  national  independence  to  the  representatives, 
but  they  replied  in  the  jargon  of  liberalism.  Through 
Marie-Louise  he  attempted  final  overtures  of  peace 
with  the  Emperor  of  Austria.  The  reply  was  more 
than  ambiguous :  '''  This  will  cause  some  delay  to 
begin  with ;  afterwards,  it  will  settle  itself,  please  God." 

The  fabric  was  crumbling :  nothing  remained  to 
Napoleon  but  his  people  and  his  sword  ;  accordingly, 
he  hastened  again  to  throw  himself  into  battle,  leaving 
the  Empress  as  Regent  in  Paris,  with  the  remark  that 
"  She  herself  has  more  intelligence  than  all  the 
councillors." 

It  was  from  a  note  of  Napoleon  to  Marie-Louise, 
intercepted  by  Blucher's  runners,  that  the  Allies 
learned  of  the  decisive  movement  contemplated  by 
the  Emperor,  and  so  were  able  to  seize  the  road  to 
Paris,  where  traitors  awaited  them  ready  to  deliver 
up  the  capital  and  France. 

Thus  we  reach  the  last  journey  Marie-Louise  was 
to  make  as  sovereign — a  proscribed  sovereign — the 
journey  to  Blois.  Some  day,  perhaps,  a  diary  of  it 
may  be  discovered  in  her  own  hand,  a  light-hearted 
account,  designed  to  be  entertaining  ! 

In  conclusion,  what  opinion  are  we  to  form  of  this 
woman  who,  for  four  years,  was  Empress  of  the  French? 
For  the  few  months  during  which  she  bore  the  title 
of  Regent,  she  was  nominally  empowered  by  the 
Emperor  to  direct  everything,  until  the  moment  came 
when  she  ought  really  to  have  taken  the  reins,  then  he 


CHARACTER  OF  MARIE-LOUISE       235 

deprived  her  of  all  authority.  There  is  no  evidence 
that  she  possessed  the  extraordinary  powers  attributed 
to  her  by  her  husband,  and  we  are  forced  to  assume 
that  he  was  deluded  by  conjugal  affection.  The  record 
of  the  journey  to  Saint-Quentin  is  calculated,  indeed, 
to  alter  the  prevailing  opinion  of  the  intelligence  of 
the  Empress,  written  only  three  months  after  her 
arrival  in  France;  Marie-Louise  thought,  observed, 
and  wrote  like  an  experienced  Frenchwoman.  Her 
criticisms  of  her  sister-in-law,  Caroline,  plainly  show 
what  opinion  she  held  of  her  ;  she  knew  what  to  think 
of  Metternich  and  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Wurtzburg, 
who  were  both  courting  the  Queen  of  Naples.  She 
described  the  aspect  of  the  country  as  well  as  she 
judged  human  nature. 

Then  all  this  suddenly  ceases.  During  the  follow- 
ing year  her  letters  to  the  Emperor  were  those  of  a 
good,  loving  little  girl.  A  certain  Viennese  author 
has  asserted  that  she  was  incapable  of  love.  What, 
then,  accounted  for  her  anxiety,  her  paroxysms  of 
depression,  her  reproaches,  if  she  were  not  in  love  ? 
Even  if  we  admit  that  the  Empress  loved  her  husband 
passionately,  this  cannot  be  said  to  have  developed 
her  intellect,  and  the  general  opinion  of  her  may  after 
all  be  well  founded.  It  is  by  no  means  impossible 
that  great  timidity,  extreme  shyness,  pride,  and  the 
continual  flattery  of  her  lady-in-waiting  may  have  set 
up  an  impassable  barrier  between  the  Empress  and 
the  ladies  of  her  court,  between  Marie-Louise  and 
society,  in  a  word  between  herself  and  France.  It  is 
not  likely  that  Madame  de  Montebello  imparted  this 


236     JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [On.  IX 

air  of  simplicity  to  all  that  Marie-Louise  said  and 
wrote.  Her  father  employed  his  leisure  in  making 
sealing-wax  of  which  he  was  as  proud  as  of  his  crown ; 
yet,  unless  we  are  to  believe  he  had  no  part  in  the 
policy  of  his  Government  and  that  his  Ministers  were 
entirely  responsible,  we  are  constrained  to  recognise 
a  continuity  in  his  purpose ;  for  no  matter  what 
adviser  he  summoned,  he  persistently  followed  his 
own  line  which  might  bend  or  twist,  but  never  broke. 
One  might  be  tempted  to  regard  the  Emperor  as  the 
puppet  of  a  caste  from  which  he  recruited  all  his 
servants,  and  to  which  his  wife,  his  brothers,  his 
cousins,  and  all  those  who  surrounded  him  belonged, 
and  which  influenced  his  ideas  and  procedure.  But, 
on  the  day  when  one  of  the  most  famous  of  the  Arch- 
Dukes,  the  only  one  who  may  be  said  to  have  acquired 
personal  glory,  ventured  to  oppose  the  Emperor's 
decisions,  describing  them  as  felonious,  he  was  swept 
aside,  and  vanished. 

Left  to  her  own  devices  (at  least  as  regards  the 
Emperor,  whom  Madame  de  Montebello  did  not  at 
that  time  venture  to  attack),  Marie-Louise  appears  to 
have  developed  a  sensual  passion  for  Napoleon, 
fostered  doubtless  by  her  admiration  for  his  invinci- 
bility, his  genius,  and  perhaps  his  physical  robustness 
and  generosity.  He  gratified  all  her  wishes  and  desires 
for  herself  and  hers  ;  he  delighted  in  providing  what- 
ever pleased  her,  or  could  adorn  her  person.  She  had 
nothing  to  wish  for,  and  save  that  he  implored  her 
from  time  to  time  not  to  over-tax  her  digestion,  he 
enforced  few  commands.  Convinced  of  her  quasi- 


divine  extraction,  he  respected  the  prestige  conferred 
on  her  by  birth,  and  felt  himself  allied  to  a  sacred 
being.  She  was  fully  aware  of  the  authority  with 
which  he  had  invested  her  and  of  her  position  in  his 
eyes,  and  while  she  did  not  lead  him,  he  occasionally 
consulted  her.  Yet  she  knew  nothing  of  her  world, 
and  was  not  interested  (in  the  seclusion  the  Emperor 
prescribed  for  her,  and  in  which  it  was  her  own 
pleasure  to  live)  in  anything  beside  herself,  the 
Duchess,  and  the  Baron. 

What  of  her  son  ?  Was  she  even  conscious  of  his 
existence  ?  When  he  was  still  an  infant  she  feared 
to  take  him  in  her  arms,  and  would  not  attempt  to  do 
so.  She  would  not  learn  to  be  a  mother  in  her 
confidential  intercourse  with  Madame  de  Montebello, 
for  the  latter  hated  the  governess,  Madame  de  Monte- 
squiou,  and  lost  no  opportunity  of  doing  her  an  ill- 
turn.  Without  asserting  that  Marie-Louise  did  not 
love  her  son,  the  allusions  made  to  him  in  her  diary 
prove  that  she  did  not  know  him. 

The  only  motive  by  which  she  was  imperiously 
dominated  was  her  feeling  for  her  father  and  her 
brothers  and  sisters ;  nothing  conflicted  with  this 
when  she  was  uprooted  from  her  environment. 
Madame  de  Montebello  alone  could  have  counteracted 
it,  but  she  was  indifferent.  No  other  influences 
counted — red  women,  white  women,  black  women, 
all  were  of  negligible  importance  in  the  eyes  of  Marie- 
Louise.  There  was,  of  course,  the  Emperor,  but  the 
reasons  for  his  ascendancy  have  already  been  explained, 
and  chief  among  them  were  the  imperative  and 


238     JOURNEY  TO  CHERBOURG  [Cu.  IX 

exacting  demands  of  the  young  wife's  temperament. 
Herein  lies  the  true  explanation  of  the  story :  it  is 
not  nattering  to  human  nature,  but  it  must  be 
remembered  that  while  fortunate  Austria  gained  by 
marriage  what  other  nations  conquered  by  the  sword, 
her  daughters  bore  the  hall-mark  of  a  fatal  dowry. 

Wretched  woman !  Was  it  not  she  who  at  Blois, 
in  the  midst  of  disasters,  allowed  two  Court  officials 
to  come  into  her  room  when  she  was  in  bed  and 
thinking  that  one  of  them  was  gazing  at  her  foot 
said,  "  You  are  looking  at  my  foot.  Don't  you  think 
it  is  a  pretty  one  ?  " 

"  Oh  /  femme,  femme — carogne  de  femme,  n'est-ce 
pas,  Figaro?  " 

FREDERIC  MASSON 


INDEX 


ABBEVILLE,  102 

Ahr,  194 

Aix-la-Chapelle,  10,  201,  203 

Aldobrandini,  Prince,  13,  90,  172, 

208,  220,  229 

Alexander,  Emperor  of  Russia,  27 
Altheim,  39 

Amsterdam,  92,  121,  142,  145 
Andernach,  193 
Antwerp,  82,  85,  87, 102, 121, 122, 

133,  135,  140,  141 
Arc  de  Triomphe,  62 
Archduke  Charles  of  Austria,  38 
Ardennes,  206 
Argenfels,  194 
Asmanshausen,  184 
AsschaSenburg,  147 
Athensen,  Convent  of,  184 
Auersperg,  Prince  of,  38 
Austria,  Court  of,  13,  39,  156 

,  Emperor  of,  16,  25,  35-38, 

52,    146,    148,    150-153, 
162,  164,  167,  236 
,  Princesses  of,  12,  15,  24 

BACHARACH,  185 

Baden,  Grand  Duke  of,  51,  147, 
148 

,  Prince  of,  175 

Bamberg,  157 

Baptismal  ceremony,  111-115 

Bassano,  Duo  de,  51,  90,  135 

Battice,  203 

Bavaria,  Duke  of,  157 

,  King  and  Queen  of,  44 


Bayeux,  214,  229 
B6arn,  M.  de,  132,  214 
Beauharnais,  M.  de,  87,   90,   114, 

126,  207 
Beaujouc,  203 
Beaumarchais,  Mine,  de,  53 
Beauvau,  M.  de,  47,  48 
Belmont,  family  of,  186 
Bergheim,  201 
Berg-op-Zoom,  92 
Bernadotte,  Prince  of  Sweden,  110 
Berthier,  Prince  of  Neuchatel,  30, 

34,  35,  36,  38,  47,  48,  87,  89, 

93,  111 

Bessieres,  Marechal,  47 
Besslich,  190 
Biberich,  177,  180 
Biennais,  155 
Bigot-de-Paeameneu,  64 
Bingen,  182-183 
Blois,  10 
Blucher,  234 
Bois-le-Duo,  89,  90 
Bologna,  Archbishop  of,  63 
Bondy,  M.  de,  47,  87,  91 
Bonn,  198 
Boppard,  187 

Borghese,  Prince  de,  51,  106 
Bornhofen,  187 
Bouchain,  76 
Boulogne,  102,  122,  123 
Bourdier,  M.,  89,  93, 137, 169, 177, 

187,  189,  190 
Braisne,  207 
Braubach,  188 


239 


240 


INDEX 


Braunau,  9,  38,  39,  40,  44 

Breda,  88,  89,  93,  140,  141 

Breske,  122 

Breysig,  194 

Bridge  of  Boats,  144,  173,  205 

Brienne,  229 

,  General,  27 

Brdmser,  family  of,  182,  183,  187 

Bruckriihlbach,  172 

Bruges,  102 

Brussels,  77,  79,   102,  122,   133, 

136,  140 
Bubna,  22 
Buda,  22,  26 

CAOHIK,  M.,  219,  227 

Caen,  118,  211,  212,  213,  229 

Caffarelly,  General,  114,  183,  184, 

190,  212 
Calais,  102,  122 

Cambaceres,  59,  60,  161,  166,  209 
Cambrai,  73,  75,  76 
Carlsbad,  157 
Carlsruhe,  46,  47 
Carthusian  Monastery,  180,  189 
Cassel,  176,  198 
Caub,  185,  186. 
Chalons,  147,  158,  168,  169 
Champagny,  M.  de,  21 
Chantereine,  224 
Charlemagne,  Battleship,  81,  123 
Charlemagne,  The  Emperor,  181, 

195,  203 

Charlemont,  205 
Charles  II.  of  Navarre,  226 

VI.  of  France,  224 

VI.,  Emperor  of  Austria,  11 

Chateau-Thierry,  168 
Cherbourg,  Abbey  of,  224 

,  Town  of,  10, 118, 119,208,215 

Chokrier,  204 
Chotek,  Count,  154 
Clam,  Count,  154 
Clary,  Count,  51 
Clermont,  170 


Coblentz,  189,  190 
Colloredo-Wallsee,   Comtesse,   19, 

20,  22,  23,  181,  195,  203 
Cologne,  143,  144,  195,  199 
Compiegne,  9,  48,  50,  51,  53,  69, 

71,73, 121,123,126,127,144,208 
Corbie,  M.,  155 
Corot,  M.,  155 
Corsini,  Prince,  47 
Corvisart,  M.,  32,  159,  169,  203, 

211,  228 
Courlan,  215 
Courcelles,  50 

Crenneville,  Comtesse  de,  20 
Croix,  M.  de,  205 
Czernin,  Count,  157 

DATTENBERGf,  194 

Day,  The  River,  215,  229 
Denain,  76 
Despaux,  M.,  155 
Deville,  231 
D'Hauterive,  M.,  55 
Dieppe,  102 
Dinant,  205 

D'Istrie,  Due,  49,  87,  95,  99 
Dollendorf,  198 
Dombasle,  170 
Doucette,  M.  de  la,  202 
Drackenfels,  194,  195,  196 
Draisch,  198 
Dreickshausen,  184 
Dresden,  9,  146,  148,  152,  153, 
165,  166 

,  Battle  of,  229 

Dreux-Brez6,  M.  de,  47 
Dumancel,  M.,  217 
Dunkirk,  102,  122 
Duplan,  M.,  115 
D'Ursel,  Due.,  132 
Dusseldorf,  143 
Dutch  Villages,  87 

EGINARD,  181 
Ehrenbreitstein,  189,  190 


INDEX 


241 


Ehvanfels,  183 

Elisa,  Sister  of  Napoleon,  30 

Ellfold,  180 

Emma,  Legend  of,  181 

Ems,  38 

Enbingen,  182 

Engers,  191 

English   invasion   of   Normandy, 

225 

English  prisoners,  97, 144, 171, 205 
Epernay,  169 
Erfurt,  27 
Erpelin,  194 
Esbach,  180 

Essling,  Battle  of,  22,  30 
Este-Modena,  house  of,  149 
Esterhazy,  Prince,  35,  164 
Etoges,  168 

Eugene,  Prince,  29,  63,  76,  105 
Eulgen,  191 
Evreux,  210,  211 


FALKENBERG, 184 

Family  Contract,  The,  15 

Fert6  Sous-Jouarre,  168 

Fesch,  Cardinal,  51,  63,  112 

Fismes,  207 

Flushing,  87,  96,  100,  121,  122, 

138 

Foache,  General,  206 
Folliot  de  Crenneville,  Mile.,  19 
Fontainebleau,  111,  121 
Fort  Haag,  98 
Forbach,  172 
Fouler,  General,  173 
Francis  I. ,  King  of  France,  226 

King  of  Lorraine,  11,  12 

II.,  Emperor  of  Germany,  12, 

16,  20,  23 
Frankfort,  174 
Franzbrun,  157 
Friedland,  84 
Fumay,  205 
Furstenberg,  185 


GAQNY,  53 

Genneviedis  de  Spadeheim,  Coun- 
tess, 193 
Geissenheim,  181 
Germany,  Emperor  of,  12 
Gertruidenberg,  92 
Ghent,  102 
Gil  Bias,  177 

Girardin,  M.,  and  Mine.,  de,  230 
Givet,  205 
Goarhausen,  186 
Godesberg,  198 
Goffin,  Chevallier,  203 
Gorcum,  141 
Gottesthal,  181 
Gustavus  Adolphus,  185 
Gutenfels,  185 


HAMTVTTCBSTEIN,  193 

Hapsburg  Lorraine,  House  of,  11 

,  Children  of  the  House  of,  12, 

14,48 

Hattenheim,  181 
Hatto,  Archbishop,  184 
Henri  IV.,  King  of  France,  51 
Hesse-Darmstadt,    Grand    Duke 

and  Grand  Duchess  of,  147, 176, 

177 
Hildegarde,  Abbess,  182,  183,  196, 

197 
Holland,  9,  87,  92,  143 

,  King  of,  51,  64,  208 

Homburg,  172 

Hoopf ort,  Isle  of,  96 

Horscheim,  189 

Hortense,  Queen,  111,  114,  145 

Hunsrucken,  173 

Huy,  204 


INVISIBLE  Tribunal,  The,  177 
Isabey,  107,  115 
Isenburg,  177 
Isle-Pelee,  222 


242 


INDEX 


JAMBON  ANDRE,  St.,  M.,  174 

Jessaint,  Chevallier  de,  170 

Johannesburg,  181 

Jonchery,  207 

Josephine,  Empress,  23,  30,  32, 
33,  111,  114,  115,  119 

Jouan,  M.,  Doctor  to  Marie- 
Louise,  72,  73,  78,  79,  84,  89 

Juliers,  201 

KAISERSLAUTERN,  172 

Katzener,  Mile.,  162 

Kellerman,  Mar&jhal,  174 

King  of  Navarre,  Charles  II.,  224 

Kirchen  Boland,  173 

Kloppe,  Castle  of,  183 

Kochenfels,  189 

Konigstein,  184 

Konigstuhl,  188 

Eossluch,  M.,  23 

LACES,  Expenditure  on,  136 

Ladies  Treaty,  The,  75 

Laeken,  Palace  of,  78,  102,  125, 

126,  127 
Lahn,  189 
Landskron,  194 
Lazinska,  Mme.,  40,  44,  45 
Lebeltzern,  151 
Leipsic,  233 
Lejeune,  35,  48 

Leopold  II.,  of  Germany,  12,  16 
Leroy,  M,  155,  164 
Letters  of  Marie-Louise,  123-139 
Leutesdorf,  193 
Liebenstein,  187 
Liege,  144,  204 
Lille,  102 
Linz,  194 
Lisieux,  212,  229 
Liverstein,  Comtesse  de,  95,  97 
Lorch,  184 
Lowenburg,  194 
Lu$ay,  Mme.  de,  33,  46,  64,  105, 

107,  120,  123,  137,  140,  156 


Luneville,  47,  48 
Lurlei,  186 

MAHLEM,  198 
Maisons,  32,  161 
Malet,  General,  161,  162 
Malibocus,  173,  176 
Malines,  80 

•,  Archbishop  of,  152 


Marcheneux,  229 

Maria     Ludovica,     Empress     of 

Austria,  22,  23,  148,  149,  150, 

155,  156,  163,  164 
Maria  Theresa,  Empress,  11,  12, 

15,  17,  28,  132 
Marie  Antoinette,  Queen  of  France, 

26,  28,  29,  31 
Marie  of  Burgundy,  102 
Marienberg,  187 
Marksburg,  188 
Maine,  River,  144 
Matislau,  154 
Mauberge,  171 
Maximilian,  164 
Mayence,  10,  147,  158,  159,  167, 

173,  174,  176 
Melun,  210 
Meneval,  M.,  10 
Merode,  Mme.  de.,  132 
Metternich,  Austrian  Ambassador, 

25,  26,  31,  60,  51,  65,  73,  76, 

163,  165,  209,  235,  236,  237 
Metz,  147,  158,  166,  171 
Meulan,  233 
Meuse,  92,  204,  205 
Mezieres,  144,  206 
Michin,  M.  and  Mme.,  213 
Micomes,  M.  de,  211 
Micoud,  M.,  203 

Middelburg,  9, 96, 98, 100, 101, 123 
Missiessy,  Admiral,  80 
Mittelheim,  181 
Moerdyk,  92 
Monrepos,  191 
Mons,  77,  127 


INDEX 


243 


Montalivet,  Mile.,  220 
Montaran,  M.  de,  87 
Montault,  M.,  231 
Montebello,  Duchesse  de,  30-33, 

44,  46,  64,  71,  77,  86,  87,  93, 

101,   136,   159,   160,   168,   179, 

189,  193,  202,  205,  235 
Montesquieux,  Mme.  de,  57,  106, 

124,  129,  133,  136,  167 
Montreuil,  122 

Moravian  Brethren,  The,  192 
Moulineaux,  230 
Mouse  Tower,  The,  184 
Munich,  44,  48 

NAHE,  River,  183,  184 
Namedy,  193 
Namur,  204,  205 
Nancy,  47,  48 
Nassau,  Emperor  of,  175 

,  Prince  of,  176, 177, 179, 180, 

183,  191,  194 
Neipperg,  Count,  10 
Neuendorff,  190 
Neuwied,  191,  193 
Niederheimbach,  184 
Niederlahnstein,  189 
Niederwerth,  190 
Nonnenwerth,  195 
Normandy,  9,  117 
Nothgottes,  Convent  of,  183 

OBBUSKEN, 194 
Oberlaknstein,  188 
Oberwesel,  186 
Oberwinter,  196 
Orange,  Prince  of,  88 
Ostend,  102,  128 
Ostrich,  181 

PALATINE,  Countesses,  185 
Pange,  M.  de,  158,  171 
Paris,  144,  155 

Pauline,  Princess,  30,  51, 124, 130, 
134,138 


Peter  the  Great,  145 
Peloz,  185 
Plauen,  148 

Pontecorvo,  Prince  de,  111 
Pontet,  Mile,  de,  20,  21,  23 
Prague,  9,  153,  156 
Prussia,  King  of,  152 

QUEEN  MATHILDE  OF  ENGLAND, 
223,  224,  229 

of  Naples,  30,  31,  40,  41,  44, 

45,  60,  51,  53,  64,  71,  73, 
74,  76,  138,  139,  146,  235 

of  Prussia,  108 

Quentin,  Saint,  72,  73,  235 

Querqueville,  Fort,  218 

RAMBOUILLET,  106,  117,  120 

Rastadt,  46 

Reggio,  Marshal,  Due  de,  89 

Regnaud,  M.,  65 

Reinusat,  Comte.  de,  57 

Mme.  de,  69 

Reveillac,  Chevallier  de,  212 

Rheims,  144,  207 

Rheineck,  193 

Rheinfels,  186 

Rheinmagen,  194 

Rheingau,  173,  174,  180,  184 

Rhens,  188 

Rhetel,  144,  206,  207 

Ried,  38,  39 

Rincy,  168 

Rocroy,  206 

Roland,  Legend  of,  195,  196,  197 

Rolandseck,  195 

Romans,  182 

Rome,  King  of  (son  of  Marie- 
Louise),  9,  29,  65,  116,  117,  119, 
125,  130,  144,  145,  208,  237 

Romesdorf,  191 

Ronsdorf,  193 

Rosillon,  205 

Rosny,  210,  233 

Rouen,  102,  230,  231 


244 


INDEX 


Roule,  Fort  of,  220,  227,  228 
Rubens,  86 

Rudesheim,  181,  182,  183 
Rupel,  River,  80 
Ruppertsburg,  183 
Russia,  18,  145, 151 

SAAEBEUCK,  172 

Saarburg,  172 

Saint  Aignan,  M.  de,  32,  44,  87, 

90,  126,  192,  210 
St.  Aulaire  M.,  de,  170 
St.  Cloud,  10,  53,  54,  57,  102,  107, 

119, 120, 144, 146, 158, 160, 162, 

208,  209,  233 
St.  Germain,  116,  210 
St.  Goar,  186 
St.  Leu,  161 
Saint  Ouen,  233 
St.  Polten,  38 
Salsig,  187 
Saverne,  49 
Saxony,  King  and  Queen  of,  146, 

148,  151,  152 
Scheldt,  River,  73,  74,  80,  81,  82, 

85,  94,  122 
Scbergen,  204 
Schierstein,  180 
Schonberg,  79 
Schonfeld,  157 
Schonhof,  157 
Schwarzenberg,  Prince,  25,  29,  50, 

51, 74,  104,  125,  164 
Segur,  M.,  121,  126 
Seine,  52,  210 
Siegbourg,  198 
Sillery,  49,  207 
Soigne,  132 
Sinzig,  194 
Soissons,  50,  207,  208 
Sonneck,  175 
Sooneck,  184 
Spa,  202 
Spessart,  178 
Stahleck,  185 


Steinbach,  185 
Sternberg,  187 
Stolzenberg,  194 
Strasbourg,  46 
Stuttgart,  45,  47,  48 

TALLEYRAND,  M.,  21 

Teplitz,  153 

Tessier,  155 

Thibouville,  211 

Thierry,  King  of  the  Goths,  76 

Tholen,  Island  of,  95 

Tilsit,  27 

Trauttmansdorff ,  Count  von,  40 

Tour  du  Pin,  Madame  de  la,  129, 

131 

Trianon,  The,  60,  62, 107, 120, 121 
Tuileries,  The,  53,  61,  66 
Tuplheim,  181 
Tuscany,  Grand  Duchy  of,  11 

ULM,  45 

Unkel,  194 

Ursula,  Church  of  St.  200 

Utrecht,  121,  141,  142 

VALENCIENNES,  76,  126 

Valeures,  M.,  49,  207 

Valmont,  M.  de,  110 

Valmy,  Duke  of,  181 

Vautsberg,  184 

Verdun, 170 

Veere,  122 

Victor  de  Broglie,  103,  104 

Vienna,  10,  22,  24,  26,  29,  30,  33, 

38,  48,  55 

Villars,  Marshal  de,  76 
Vilvorde,  79 

Vincennes,  Forest  of,  116 
Vinceslas,  Emperor,  188 
Visterthurm,  191 
Vitry  sur  Seine,  49 

WALOHEEEN,  Island  of,  96,  98 
Wallendar,  191 


INDEX 


245 


Wallersheim,  190 

Walluf,  180 

Welmich,  180 

Westphalia,  Queen- of,  61,  79,  80, 
84,87,92,93,95,96, 
97,  98,  99,  101,  140, 
153 

,  King  of,  83,  87,  92, 

93,  94, 101 

Wiesbaden,  173,  175,  177 

Wimereux,  122 

William  the  Conqueror,  213,  223 


Wurtemburg,  King  of,  45,  147 
Wurtzburg,  Duke  of,  51,  71,  76, 
147,  152,  153,  157,  235 

XINZLO  (Fenelon  ?),  76 

ZAANDAM,  145 

Zeebourg,  96 

Zeist,  192 

Zinzendorf ,  Prince  of,  35 

Zuid  Beveland.  Island  of,  96 


THE   END 


FRISTKD  BY  WILLIAM  ClOWBS  AND  SONS.  LIMITED,  LONDON  AND  BECCLES,  BNOLAND. 


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